QUETTA: The district administration of Quetta signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on 3rd June with HBL Foundation and the Balochistan education department to enhance infrastructure and modernise facilities in seven government schools. Quetta Deputy Commissioner Mehrullah Badini, HBL Foundation Chief Executive Obaid Shah, and Quetta’s District Education Officer Naseer Ali Shah signed the agreement. The initiative involves creating smart IT and science labs, building prefabricated classrooms, installing solar panels, providing modern libraries. Published
Child Rights in Focus
RAHIM YAR KHAN: In a heart-wrenching incident, a labourer in Rahim Yar Khan poisoned his three children before taking his own life after being unable to afford Eid clothes for them, the police said on 02-June-2025. According to the police, the incident occurred in Sardar Garh Basti Haji Pir area of Rukanpur village. The man, who worked as a tractor trolley driver, had been unemployed and distressed for several days, the police said. In
GILGT: A monitoring team involved in the ongoing anti-polio campaign in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) came under fire in the Tangir Shekho area of Diamer district on 02-June-2025, a day after a new case of polio detected in the area. No casualties were reported in the incident, which officials say was triggered not by opposition to the polio campaign itself, but due to the public presence of female workers in the conservative region. According to provincial
RAWALPINDI: Al-Shifa Trust has called for mandatory eye screenings in schools, stressing that early detection and treatment of vision problems can significantly reduce the risk of childhood blindness. Talking to the media, president of Al-Shifa Trust retired Maj-Gen Rehmat Khan said that while some eye health initiatives exist, they are not mandated by national policy and mainly depend on periodic campaigns or voluntary participation. This, he emphasized, is not enough to address the growing
ISLAMABAD: Health authorities have confirmed a new case of wild poliovirus in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, marking the first instance of the virus reported from the region. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed a new case in 23-month-old male child from District Diamer, Gilgit-Baltistan. “This is the first case of wild poliovirus reported from GB and the eleventh confirmed case in Pakistan this year.”
PESHAWAR: Rejecting the Child Marriage Restraint Bill, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman on 01-June-2025 said that ease was being created for the promotion of adultery in the country, while the process of nikah was being made difficult under the pretext of so-called legislation. “There is no restriction of age for marriage in Islam. The only restriction is the attainment of puberty, which may occur at the age of 10, 12 or 14,”
GILGIT: A new case of wild poliovirus has been reported from Tangir Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district, with preliminary lab analysis linking the virus to a strain previously detected in Karachi’s Liaquatabad area, officials told The News on 01-June-2025. According to health sources, the affected child is a two-year-old boy who had received oral polio drops but had not completed the full course of routine immunisation, which is essential for full protection against the
UNICEF Pakistan provided technical support in drafting the policy, ensuring alignment with international standards. The Punjab Cabinet, under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, has officially approved the province’s first comprehensive Child Protection Policy, marking a significant milestone in the protection of children’s rights. The policy, developed by the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, aims to provide a structured and effective roadmap to prevent child abuse, neglect, violence, and exploitation. It was approved
In this clip, host Mehnaz Parveen talks to Usama Khilji (Director, Bolo Bhi) about online harassment, the issue of private video sharing, and the legal routes available in Pakistan. From the role of the FIA to the support offered by Digital Rights Foundation, here’s what you need to know.
UNICEF’s National Ambassador for Child Rights, Saba Qamar, highlights the impact of child marriage on young girls’ futures and calls for unified action to protect children.
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has initiated the process to extend the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act to Khyber Institute of Child Health Peshawar and Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital Swat. In a letter, the department directed the medical superintendent of the SGTH Swat and director of the KICH to “provide budgetary details on priority to proceed with the plan of bringing both institutes under the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act (MTIRA).” They
KARACHI: The Sindh Education Department has stated that five million sets of books have been printed and delivered to government schools free of cost. In a statement issued here on Sunday, the department said that the Sindh Textbook Board (STBB) has completed the distribution of free textbooks across the province for the academic year 2025–26. Out of the five million sets, 4.5m were allocated to public schools, while 500,000 were provided to schools under