LAHORE - The Lahore High Court yesterday sought reply from the Punjab government in a petition moved to extend the summer vacations due to alleged rising tide of children’ kidnapping in various parts of Punjab.

Javed, a local resident, filed the petition and submitted that children’ kidnapping had risen to high level while the summer vacations had also ended up. Millions of children would attend the schools but there were no security arrangements for the children students, he said.

The petitioner apprehended that more children would be abducted and kidnapped due to poor security arrangements.

He alleged that unknown criminals were abducting children and selling their organs to many buyers in and outside the country and making millions of rupees. Police department, he said, had failed to provide security to the people. He pleaded the court to order the education department authorities to extend summer vacations till the control of issue of kidnapping, so the children could be saved.

After hearing initial arguments, the court sought reply from the Punjab government and adjourned further hearing until August 23.

In another case, the LHC directed Punjab government and University of the Punjab’s vice chancellor to submit reply in a petition challenging condition of 24 years of age for the students to get admission in LL.B at the varsity.

Zain Ali, a student, filed the petition through his counsel Advocate Pir Masood Chishti and submitted that the Punjab university had imposed the condition of 24 years of age for admission in LL.B. He stated that this condition was creating hurdle in the way of getting education—the fundamental right of every citizen. He contended that condition of age cannot be imposed for education as it was constitutional right of every citizen. The petitioner prayed the court to set aside the condition so that every citizen could get education.

After hearing initial arguments, Justice Abid Aziz Sheikh sought replies from Punjab government and University of the Punjab’s vice-chancellor and deferred the proceedings until August 23.

More arguments sought

in LG reserved seats case

The Lahore High Court yesterday sought more arguments in a petition filed by PML-Q against election reserved seats of local government on basis of old schedule.

LHC Chief Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah took up the petition and deferred proceedings for today, (Wednesday).

The party moved the petition through Advocate Mubeen Qazi and submitted previously all cases challenging amendments made were disposed of by the high court after the government withdrew these amendments.

The petitioner through his counsel contended that the election commission just announced the date of the polling and the lection were not held as per the law prevalent on August 26, 2015. The fresh election schedule was not issued, said the petitioner.

He further said that ECP earlier announced the schedule by adopting the amendments in law on the basis of enhanced number of seats but the amendment was withdrawn, the same schedule cannot be used for reduced number of seats.

The party stated on the ground that under the said schedule the submission of nomination papers was to commence from Jan 20, 2016, on which date the law was again amended and the mode of filling up the reserved seats was changed from indirect elections to the proportional representation system as per the political parties list.

It further stated that a large number of candidates especially the candidates of the political parties were being deprived of their valuable rights to contest / participate in the elections of the reserved seats due to inefficiency and acts of the ECP. He submitted that without maximum participation in the elections, the objective of democracy could not be achieved.

The petitioner prayed to the court to set aside the election on the basis of old schedule and direct the ECP to issue a fresh election schedule.