Children’s rights are at the heart of a landmark petition submitted to the Peshawar High Court (PHC), urging the provincial government to take urgent measures for their protection, which remains largely overlooked despite several existing laws.
The writ petition was filed by Dr. Syed Akhtar Ali Shah, Chairman of the Good Governance Forum. He requested the court to order authorities to rescue minors forced to beg at traffic signals and those working in hazardous conditions at roadside workshops. The respondents named in the petition include the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government, the Chairman of the Benazir Income Support Programme, the Secretaries of Elementary and Secondary Education and Social Welfare, and the Inspector General of KP Police.
Dr. Shah highlighted that thousands of children across the province are denied their fundamental right to education and are pushed into street begging or child labour. He pointed out that, despite laws such as the Juvenile Justice System Act 2018, the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Act 2010, and the Prevention of Trafficking Act 2018, vulnerable children continue to face neglect and exploitation.
The petition further reminded the court that Pakistan, as a signatory to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, is bound under international agreements to safeguard minors. Article 25-A of the Constitution also guarantees free and compulsory education, yet its enforcement remains weak.
Dr. Shah stressed that children can still be seen begging at intersections throughout Peshawar, a situation he described as a direct failure of the administration to uphold children’s rights and fulfill its constitutional duties.
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