Citing discrimination: Final list of scholarship recipients stayed

Petitioner Shehzadi Mahnoor’s counsel says scholarships should be divided equally among boys and girls. PHOTO: FILE

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Wednesday restrained the provincial government from issuing the final list of students of various educational institutes who will be awarded government scholarships.

Petitioner from Mardan, Shehzadi Mahnoor’s counsel Khalid Rehman informed a division bench comprising Justice Mazhar Alam Miankhel and Justice Qaiser Rashid Khan that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government had announced it would award scholarships to talented students in grade six to grade 12 across the province.

According to Rehman, the government is supposed to award scholarships to 97 students and seven out of these were reserved for students from underdeveloped areas, while the rest are to be divided population-wise across districts.

“In this scheme, the government has allocated seven scholarships for Mardan, including five for boys and two for girls. However, 10 have been allotted to Peshawar, including eight for boys and two for girls, which is discriminatory,” claimed Rehman, adding under Section 25 of the Constitution all citizens should be treated equally.

The counsel further said all students had taken an Education Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) test in which only two students qualified for the eight seats in Peshawar.

“My client came in third on the list for Mardan but still cannot receive the scholarship. The provincial government should distribute these scholarships equally among boys and girls and there should be no discrimination on the basis of gender,” said Rehman.

After hearing preliminary arguments, the court issued a stay order and restrained the provincial government from issuing a final list of scholarship recipients.

The court also sought comments from secretary of the education department and director of the Schools and Literacy department. The hearing was adjourned till April 4.