News Detail
Event Title: Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, Chairperson Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights Presiding over a Meeting of The Committee at Parliament House Islamabad.
Event Date: 2026-07-17
SENATE COMMITTEE ON HUMAN RIGHTS DEMANDS ACCOUNTABILITY ON SANITARY WORKERS EXPLOITATION, CHILD PROTECTION, AND LAW ENFORCEMENT DELAYS
The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights convened today at Parliament House, Islamabad, to address a critical agenda encompassing human rights violations, labor exploitation, child welfare, and pending criminal investigations. Under the leadership of Committee Chairperson Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, the session brought together administrative officials, commission representatives, and law enforcement heads to secure immediate progress reports and enforce structural accountability.
The Committee expressed deep sorrow and fury over the tragic suicide of sanitary worker Zeeshan Arshad in Gujranwala, which was directly linked to systemic wage exploitation. Reviewing official inquiry documents from the Deputy Commissioner of Gujranwala and the Gujranwala Waste Management Company (GWMC), the Committee noted that the deceased was employed via third-party arrangements, initially through a local contractor and subsequently under M/s Imperial Venture - Changyi Kang Joint Venture, before his termination in May 2026.
During the discussion on the Sanitary Weeks agenda, the Chairperson strongly commended the Suthra Punjab initiative launched by the Chief Minister of Punjab. However, she vehemently criticized private third-party contractors for tarnishing such flagship public welfare projects. She remarked that the death of innocent Zeeshan was, in fact, the death of humanity and a blatant violation of the basic human rights of impoverished sanitary workers by these private companies. She demanded strict, immediate action against such entities to ensure they are held accountable for these gruesome violations.
The Committee strongly reprimanded the GWMC management for presenting a defensive brief that lacked empathy. The financial irregularities of the third-party arrangement were laid bare before the Committee: the contract covered 675 sanitary workers and 60 helpers, providing a meager minimum salary of Rs 20,000 to the workers while charging GWMC Rs 29,890 per worker per month. The remaining balance of Rs 9,890 per worker was pocketed by the company under the guise of administrative and service costs. The Chairperson expressed extreme reservation over how these private firms are maximizing their profit margins at the cost of the financial murder of vulnerable laborers.
Consequently, the Chairperson demanded the immediate submission of comprehensive records, including salary ledgers, tax returns, banking transactions, and original third-party contracts, to investigate why workers were paid far below the government-mandated minimum wage of PKR 40,000. Complete transparency regarding compensation and insurance packages for the victim’s family was also ordered.
Turning to the cyber defamation agenda, the Chairperson expressed serious reservations to the Director General of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). She highlighted how the DG himself had recognized that an innocent individual had lost their life due to the sheer negligence of the relevant officer handling the matter.
Upon being informed that the officer in question was a contractual employee whose contract has since expired, the Chairperson rejected the administrative lapse and directed the agency to immediately call the former contractual employee to account. She ordered a thorough, formal inquiry against him to determine liability.
While the DG NCCIA confirmed that the primary accused in the social media defamation case has been arrested but is currently out on bail, he assured the Committee that the agency is actively pursuing the cancellation of the bail on a priority basis. The Chairperson directed the NCCIA to make such malicious online campaigns an exemplary warning to society and requested a comprehensive briefing on the implementation mechanisms of blasphemy and defamation laws regarding public complaints.
Addressing the persistent menace of child begging, the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) briefed legislators on ongoing child protection bottlenecks. The Commission noted that while human rights desk centers are being established, funding delays continue to stall active operations. To bypass administrative inertia and implement sustainable rehabilitation, the NCRC proposed creating a dedicated joint task force in collaboration with the Deputy Commissioner’s office. This initiative aims to deliver permanent, empowering solutions for vulnerable children rather than fostering systemic state dependency.
Finally, the Committee reviewed the progress of the investigation into the targeted killing of Dr. Safdar Rajput in District Dadu. Representatives from law enforcement agencies reported that a joint investigation involving the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), and local police is actively underway. The Committee directed the collaborating departments to expedite their efforts and submit a comprehensive resolution report immediately upon the case's conclusion to ensure swift justice for the bereaved family.
The meeting was attended by Senators Khalil Tahir, Poonjo Bheel, Hafiz Abdul Karim, Syed Masroor, Atta ul Haq, Aimal Wali, and Rana Mehmood ul Hasan (Mover of the agenda), alongside the Secretary for the Ministry of Human Rights, the DG NCCIA, and other senior officials from the concerned departments.