In 2024, fundamental rights in Pakistan remained vulnerable amid political manipulation, electoral irregularities, internet shutdowns, and shrinking civic spaces. Violence escalated, with militant attacks, enforced disappearances, and increased harassment of journalists. Marginalized groups, including women, children, religious minorities, and the transgender community, faced ongoing discrimination, violence, and lack of protection. Millions, including children, continued to labour without fair wages or safety nets, with limited access to education and essential services. Environmental disasters further exposed
Child Rights in Focus
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz chaired a special meeting of the School Education Department for a detailed briefing on the existing and proposed projects of school education. She was briefed by the authorities concerned saying, “Outsourcing of more than 11,000 schools has been completed in Punjab, and the enrollment of children has increased manifold.” She congratulated minister for education on the enrollment of 1.1 million out-of-school children under the Punjab Education Foundation. The
Islamabad: Federal Secretary for Education Dr Nadeem Mahboob participated in a panel discussion on “Federal and Provincial Education Updates” at the Inter-Provincial Ministerial Forum here. He was joined by Parliamentary Secretary for Education Punjab Nosheen Adnan, Secretary Education Punjab, Additional Secretary KP, and a representative from the Sindh Government. Dr. Nadeem Mahboob highlighted key federal initiatives, including Digital Literacy Programmes, the School Meal Programme, Financial Literacy, Sports-based activities, and Foundational Learning Policy reforms. He
Islamabad: In a swift and decisive operation, the Islamabad Police have successfully recovered a three-year-old child who was abducted from the bustling Centaurus Mall. The abduction, which fell under the jurisdiction of the Margalla Police Station, triggered an immediate and intensive response from law enforcement, culminating in the child’s safe return and the arrest of the alleged female kidnapper, hailing from Charsadda, with her two male aides, believed to be involved in multiple similar
A 13-year-old girl was allegedly kidnapped from the Saudabad neighbourhood, prompting police to register a case on the complaint of her father and launch an investigation. The complainant, Muhammad Asim, told the police that his daughter Anamta had received a phone call on her mobile about fifteen days ago. He confronted the unknown caller and subsequently took away the phone from his daughter. According to Asim, on May 1, while the family was asleep
A child is born with thalassemia major every 90 minutes in Pakistan, but this entirely preventable disease can be eradicated within a generation through one simple step — mandatory pre-marital screening for all couples. This was the key message delivered by renowned paediatric hematologist Dr Saqib Ansari during a press conference in Karachi on Saturday, where he was joined by Dr Rahat Hussain and Nazir-ul-Hasan under the banner of the Omair Sana Foundation, ahead
HYDERABAD: In a major crackdown on human trafficking and bonded child labor, SSP Hyderabad Adeel Hussain Chandio launched an operation in Qasimabad and on Autobhan Road following directives from Deputy Commissioner Hyderabad Zain-ul-Aabdin Memon. According to the Deputy Commissioner’s office, multiple raids were successfully carried out within the jurisdictions of police stations Bhitai Nagar, Qasimabad, GOR, and Women and Child. During the operation, 14 women were detained after failing to provide satisfactory explanations regarding
KARACHI: The Aga Khan University Hospital (AKUH) celebrated the World Immunisation Week with a series of events aimed at promoting awareness and encouraging collective action for vaccination. The World Immunisation Week (April 24 to 30) is a vital opportunity to highlight the life-saving power of vaccines and the critical role they play in protecting individuals and communities from preventable diseases. The week was observed by the Department of Paediatrics and Child Health in collaboration
RAWALPINDI: Police in the Jatli area of Rawalpindi have registered a case against two suspects and arrested one of them for allegedly sexually assaulting a 15-year-old boy, filming the incident and circulating the video on social media. According to the FIR, a complainant told the police that he was informed by locals that an obscene video of his son was being shared in WhatsApp groups. He later viewed the video on a cousin’s phone,
MUZAFFARABAD: School playing fields in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) are being transformed into first aid camps for children to learn how to respond if war breaks out with India. Wearing a protective helmet and a fluorescent vest, 13-year-old Konain Bibi listened attentively to her first aid lesson. “With India threatening us, there’s a possibility of war, so well all have to support each other,” she told AFP. Pakistan has warned that it has
PESHAWAR: Experts at a two-day workshop called upon mothers to avoid formula milk and start breastfeeding to newborn babies within first hour of birth so that they could grow and stay safe from ailments. The event entitled ‘breastfeeding and baby-friendly hospital initiative (BFHI)’ was organised by paediatric department at Naseerullah Khan Babar Memorial Hospital, Peshawar. The workshop concluded on Thursday. Addressing the workshop, Dr Ziyadullah Shah, head of paediatric department, said that early initiation
The Sindh government and the World Food Programme (WFP) on 01-May-2025 decided to co-finance a one-year pilot project to provide daily meals to 11,000 District Malir primary school students up to the fifth grade to help improve their learning, attendance and nutrition. The meeting between Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and WFP Country Director Coco Ushiyama at the CM House focused on enhancing ongoing initiatives such as the Nashonuma and Mamta programmes, and