Employees working in National Commission for Human Development (NCHD) have filed a constitutional petition in the Supreme Court of Pakistan challenging the winding up of the Commission.
In this petition filed under Article 184(3) for enforcement of fundamental rights, it has been stated that NCHD is a nationwide network of 101 human develop support units across the country which is involved in providing social services to the underdeveloped and very remote areas of the state through its more than 16,000 employees and if the Commission is wound up all the good work will come to an abrupt end and more than 16,000 families will be left unemployed, not to speak of the 7000 schools and around 500,000 students who have no access to education or health will have to abandon education and become vulnerable for exploitation.
It has been submitted by Barrister Syed Ali Zafar that the Commission was fulfilling the basic and core obligations of the govt by providing education and health services to the Pakistani citizens. It is stated in the petition that in today’s age of human rights there is a positive duty upon the state, which includes the federal and provincial govts, to fulfil their minimum core obligations and provide access to education and health.
