Se[tember 15, 2026
By Hashir Ahsan
ISLAMABAD
An important meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Human Rights was held under the chairmanship of Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, on Tuesday, in which detailed consideration was given to key issues such as the cases of child abuse and violence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and across the country, the incident of suicide of a Gujranwala resident, inappropriate advertisements on social media, and the overall performance of the Pakistan Telecom Authority (PTA).
During the meeting, the family of the suicide victim Zeeshan, who was a resident of Gujranwala, also attended and briefed the committee that Zeeshan had committed suicide because of not receiving his full salary.
The family said that despite the salary being fixed at 40,000 rupees, Zeeshan was being given only 19,000 rupees from the very first day. They had pleaded with tears before the Chamber of Commerce and the DC, but he was transferred.
The incident had taken place on September 7, and prior to this on June 8, their brother had made a video in which he had mentioned the name of ‘Chatha Sahib’ saying he would go to collect his salary and if not received, he would set himself on fire. The brother of the deceased said that the department also did not give them all the money for the plot.
Chairperson Samina Zehri expressed severe indignation over the contradictory statements of the private company, saying that in previous meetings the company had said that the employee had been terminated and a termination letter was also submitted, whereas company officials now say that Zeeshan was not their employee at all, and upon a worker’s death, allowance and social security are given to the family.
The Chairperson raised the question that if Zeeshan was not an employee, why had a termination letter been issued, and what was the job of the helper in the IT department.
Zehri directed the company officials to refrain from misrepresentation, and ordered that all outstanding amounts be transferred to the family of the deceased before the next committee meeting. The family thanked the Chairperson for her support, to which Samina Mumtaz Zehri said that she did not want any injustice to happen to anyone else.
Increasing child abuse in KP
Apart from the case of Zeeshan’s suicide, other briefings were also given in the meeting related to increasing cases of child violence and abuse. The Chief Secretary Khyber Pakhtunkhwa said that Child Protection Units were being established in every district of the province, and cooperation has been requested from the imams of mosques during Friday sermons. He informed that in the last 15 years, approximately 35,000 cases have come to light, while recently the Ayat Noor case had shaken the entire nation.
According to DIG Investigation, up until August 31, 2026, 395 incidents of child abuse and 600 incidents of child murder were reported, while KP child protection officials mentioned establishing GBV desks in all districts and a one percent increase in conviction in 2026. However, difficulties are being faced in convictions due to witnesses’ statements in courts.
The National Commission for the Rights of Child (NCRC) revealed that in 2025, there were 17,000 cases of child abuse in Pakistan, including 12,000 in Punjab, 850 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 3,000 cases in Sindh.
Senator Aimal Wali Khan also expressed deep concern over a recent incident involving a little girl, who was abused by a member of the support staff, in a famous private school in Islamabad. He said that if the owners were involved, the school should be closed down and their economic foundations should be targeted.
Referring to the recent robbery and rape case in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa involving two women in front of their husband and daughter, Senator Aimal Wali supported the extrajudicial killing of all four suspects at the hands of the police and said that although this action is not according to the constitution and law, such actions were correct due to the acquittal of suspects from courts and pressure on affected families.
Chairperson Samina Mumtaz Zehri agreed with this, stating that criminal elements should be treated the same way, because due to the weakness of the system, families are forced to settle matters out of court through intimidation and threats.
Talking about legislation and the punishment process, the Committee Chairperson said that in Pakistan, the issue is not laws, but the writ of the police and courts, and the Noor Mukadam case is clear proof of this. Prosecution officials informed that the murderer of Noor Mukadam has been sentenced to death, while Senator Aimal Wali Khan alleged that the Punjab Prosecution Department supports murderers and the conviction rate in crimes against children in the province is slightly above two percent. After intense questioning, Prosecutor Punjab withdrew his statement in which he had claimed a 50 percent death penalty rate for suspects. The committee directed the prosecution of all provinces to ensure strict implementation of laws.
Vulgar ads
At the conclusion of the meeting, the issue of inappropriate and vulgar advertisements shown on social media apps and dramas came under discussion.
Senator Aimal Wali Khan expressed anger at PTA officials, raising questions about the prevention of advertisements based on Western and pornography culture. Senator Quratulain Marri also inquired about the procedure following the blocking of websites.
Chairman PTA, while giving a briefing, clarified that individually monitoring or stopping all advertisements on various foreign apps or websites is beyond their capacity, nor do they have any mechanism for it; they can only act on complaints by blocking the entire website or contacting them to remove content.
He informed that a Social Media Regulatory Authority will be established soon and instructions of the newly formed Social Media Committee will be implemented. On this occasion, the Committee Chairperson also expressed severe displeasure over the lack of progress and slowness of the NCCIA.