ISLAMABAD: The matter of private schools and educational institutions in Westridge was discussed at a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Defence on Wednesday.

Senator Zahid Khan informed the committee that private educational institutions have opened in residential areas of the Rawalpindi Cantonment Board (RCB), to which the defence secretary said the RCB has already issued notices to over 32 private schools in Westridge and on Peshawar Road. The schools will close in three months, as the academic year is coming to an end.

Committee members were glad to hear the private educational institutions would be moved out of residential areas within three months, and asl(ed for a report to be sent to the committee.

Senator Chaudhry Tanveer also raised the matter of the Rawalpindi Cantonment General Hospital, and the deputy director of Military Lands and Cantonments said the RCB was working to improve the hospital`s condition and fill vacant posts for doctors and paramedical staff.

The committee directed thedefence secretary, retired Lt Gen Zamirul Hassan Shah, to present a report on the upgradation of the hospital after two months so the committee could review progress in this regard.

The standing committee also formed a subcommittee to visit the Loralai Cantonment to hear out 34 families who had to vacate their homes despite a 100-year lease agreement with the cantonment authorities.

The meeting was held to review the utilisation of the budget allocated to the defence ministry in the 2016-2017 federal budget, but the point of agenda was deferred as the aforementioned matters took up the meeting`s time, and the chair decided to take up the matter in the next meeting.

The meeting was chaired by Senator retired Lt Gen Salahuddin Tirmizi, and attended by senators Farhatullah Babar, Ilyas Bailour, Hidayatullah, Attaur Rehman, retired Col Syed Tahir Hussain Mushhadi, Javed Abbasi, retired Brig John Kenneth Williams, Sardar Mohammad Azam Khan Musakhel, Mohammad Zahid and other senior officials.

The subcommittee will be led by Senator Tirmizi, and will consist of Mr Rehman and Mr Abbasi, as well as senatorsMusakhel and Usman Khan Kakar as special members, because they were the movers of the point of order in the upper house.

The meeting took up the point of order raised on Dec 20, 2016, regarding a Ministry of Defence order that residents of the Loralai Cantonment areas vacate their homes even though the land was allotted to them for 100 years.

Mr Musakhel said the residents made to vacate their homes should be brought back.

`Chairman Senate Mian Raza Rabbani [spoke] to the defence secretary, and he assured to resolve the issue but it has not been] resolved yet, he said.

Mr Kakar told the committee that the defence secretary spoke to the southern commander, but the issue had not been resolved.

`For the first time, women from Balochistan came to Islamabad to protest because they had been asked to vacate their houses,` he said.

Defence Secretary Shah told the committee that the lease agreement to allocate the quarters was made in 1972. `There were 258 quarters, and under the agreement, people not involved in illegal activities will not vacate these quarters,` hesaid.

He claimed the quarters were vacated by residents `due to involvement of their relatives in extremist activity`. He said three out of the 34 quarters have not been vacated.

Senator Hidayatullah remarl(ed that the cantonment authorities` law was stricter than the Frontier Crimes Regulations implemented in Fata.

Senator Babar said the general officer commanding had no right to order residents to vacate properties leased to them. He said the three families in the Loralai quarters that didnotvacate their homes should not be forced to do so.

`There is unrest among the people of the country over the order to vacate the quarters despite a 100-year lease,` he said, and suggested that a subcommittee he formed to visit the area and listen to the people`s complaints.

Mr Tirmizi said the armed forces have made sacrifices for the country`s defence, and said committee members should put forth suggestions to resolve the issue. He said a subcommittee would visit the area and listen to the residents and the concerned authorities, adding that a date for visit will be finalised soon.