The Senate Standing Committee on Science and Technology on Tuesday took serious notice of the increased number of pending service matters and court cases related to Pakistan Standard and Quality Control Authority (PSQCA) and Pakistan Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (PCSIR).

Chaired by Senator Mushtaq Ahmed Khan, the meeting was attended by Senator Nuzhat Sadiq, Senator Sikander Mandhro and senior officers from the Ministry of Science and Technology, Higher Education Commission (HEC, PSQCA, PCSIR and COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI) along with all concerned.

The committee discussed the Pakistan Engineering Council (Amendment) Bill, 2019, all pending service matters and court cases related to DPC/PSQCA and PCSIR from 2010-18, progress on virtual campus regulations and issues pertaining to clearance of Rs 500 million dues to be recovered from students admitted on workers quota, as per committee recommendation.

The meeting commenced with a detailed review of all pending promotion cases and inquiries pertaining to DPC/PSQCA and PCSIR from 2010-18. Chairman Committee Senator Mushtaq Ahmed took serious notice of the increasing number of pending cases and delayed inquiries. The committee was informed that the main reason for delay in most cases is that the matter is sub judice. A report on the matter is to be submitted to the committee within a month.

A discussion on the private member's bill titled 'the Pakistan Engineering Council (Amendment) Bill, 2019' took place. A final decision on the bill will be held later. Reviewing progress on virtual campus's regulations as directed by the committee in a meeting held on October 07, 2019, the committee was informed that a policy document has been formulated and it would be implemented after being approved by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) in March.

The issues pertaining to clearance of Rs500 million dues to be recovered from students admitted on workers quota were also discussed.