
HEC receives Rs65b grant, NA told
Parliamentary Secretary for Federal Education and Professional Training, National Heritage and Culture Farah Naz Akbar informed the National Assembly on Tuesday that the Higher Education Commission (HEC) receives a grant of Rs65 billion for higher education projects.
A significant portion of this funding is allocated to the provinces as part of a new agreement aimed at strengthening Pakistan's higher education sector, she said while responding to a calling attention notice regarding the severe financial difficulties faced by public sector universities.
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Express Tribune
15 hours ago
- Express Tribune
Only 14% MNAs attend all sittings of 16th NA session
Two supplementary resolutions were adopted by the house which were about paying tributes to the sacrifices of the armed forces on Defence Day and condemning terrorism in Quetta and Mardan. PHOTO: FAFEN The 16th session of the National Assembly that spanned over 13 sittings between May 5 and 22, 2025, saw only 14% members making 100% attendance, while 9% of the members were absent during the entire session, the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) said in its report on Thursday. Fafen is a civil society network focused on strengthening democracy. It said in its latest report that consistent with the previous sessions, female attendance was generally higher than that of their male counterparts during the session last month. "The highest attendance was recorded during the first sitting, with 237 members (76%) present. During this sitting, the House suspended its regular agenda to discuss the recent Pakistan-India conflict," the report said. The lowest attendance was recorded during the last sitting, with 174 members (55%) present. This sitting was initially adjourned after just 13 minutes because of the lack of quorum. The House reconvened after 15 minutes and passed The Off the Grid (Captive Power Plants) Levy Bill, 2025. Fafen said that 150 members of the National Assembly (MNAs) skipped sittings without advance leave request; 118 (44%) submitted a leave application, including 25 (21%) in advance and 37 (31%) applied ex-post facto after returning from their leave. It added that 268 members (86%) missed at least one sitting during the current session. The report said that 16 female MNAs, including 14 on reserved seats, attended all the sittings, while five female MNAs, including two on the reserved seats, recorded zero attendance. Region-wise, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Islamabad Capital Territory lawmakers recorded the highest percentage of MNAs attending more than half of the sittings, it said, adding that majority of lawmakers from the SIC, the PML-N, the JUI, and independents attended more than half of the sittings. A lack of ministerial presence weakened legislative oversight, Fafen said in the report. Among the 29 federal ministers, who were expected to be present during the Question Hour to respond to queries from lawmakers, only 15 (52%) were marked present during the sittings.


Business Recorder
2 days ago
- Business Recorder
Selection of CEC chief, ECP members: PTI nominates members for parliamentary body
ISLAMABAD: The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday formally nominated its members for the parliamentary committee tasked with selecting the new chief election commissioner (CEC) and two members of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). In a statement on X, the opposition leader in National Assembly Omar Ayub posted a June 2 letter addressed to National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, in which PTI nominated four National Assembly members and two senators for the committee. The nominees include MNAs Asad Qaiser, Gohar Ali Khan, Sahibzada Hamid Raza, Latif Khosa, along with senators Shibli Faraz and Allama Raja Nasir. The move comes after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif invited the opposition leader for consultations on appointing a new CEC, following the expiration of the terms of the current CEC Sikandar Sultan Raja and two ECP members from Sindh and Balochistan on January 26, 2025. The premier's letter highlighted that despite their terms ending, the incumbents have continued to perform duties under Article 215 of the Constitution. According to Article 213 of the Constitution, the prime minister and opposition leader must send three names for each position to the president by mutual consensus. If no consensus is reached, names are submitted to a 12-member parliamentary committee equally representing the treasury and opposition benches, which then recommends a name to the president. The PTI's nominations follow procedural consultations within the party and were announced a day after the prime minister's invitation for dialogue with the opposition. The nominations are part of the constitutionally mandated process under Article 213(2B) for appointing the CEC and members from Sindh and Balochistan. The appointments are pending amid deep political polarisation in the country, with little prior engagement reported between government and opposition leaders on the matter. PTI had earlier filed a petition with the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in March, challenging the delay in appointing a new CEC. The petition named the federal government, Senate chairman, National Assembly speaker, and ECP as respondents, alleging constitutional violations due to the delay. It requested the court to compel relevant authorities to form the parliamentary committee and hold meaningful consultations under Article 213. Meanwhile, two other ECP members from Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa continue their terms until 2027, ensuring partial continuity within the commission. The selection process remains critical as the ECP is responsible for overseeing the transparency and conduct of elections in Pakistan. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025


Express Tribune
3 days ago
- Express Tribune
HEC, Sindh HEC at odds overVCs forum in Morocco
A dispute has emerged between the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the Sindh Higher Education Commission (Sindh HEC) over the participation of university vice chancellors in an upcoming international forum scheduled to be held in Rabat, Morocco. HEC has invited vice chancellors from across the country to attend the forum, asking universities to cover the travel expenses themselves. However, the Sindh HEC has refused to allow universities in the province to use provincial grants for this purpose. Sindh HEC Chairman Dr Tariq Rafi has issued an advisory to the heads of all public sector universities advising them not to undertake foreign trips using public funds, with a warning that any such cases will be reported to the Chief Minister, the Chancellor or Controlling Authority of Universities in Sindh. "The Sindh government provides grants to universities strictly for academic and research purposes. These funds cannot be spent on foreign trips," said Rafi. He added that while vice chancellors are free to attend the forum at their own expense, they are not permitted to use university or government funds for the trip. Sindh HEC reminded that it was difficult for many public sector universities in Sindh to even pay salaries of the teachers and staff. Even essential expenditures were covered by loans, he said. If such expenditures for international travel is of dire need, then they can only be incurred after approval of the same has been given by the Chief Minister. The Sindh HEC quoting the existing policy of the Universities and Boards Department of Sindh says, that the leave notifications issued for foreign tours explicitly mention that the expenses of such tours will not be borne by the Government of Sindh or university funds. The Vice Chancellors' Forum was originally planned to be held in Islamabad last month, but it was relocated to Rabat due to escalating tensions between Pakistan and India, sources said. Sindh HEC emphasized that most universities in the province are already facing financial deficits, and spending scarce resources on international travel would be irresponsible.