LAHORE : A meeting was held in the Specialised Health Care and Medical Education Department under the chairmanship of Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique and Secretary Health Azmat Mahmood regarding the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme. During the meeting, a detailed review of the programme was held. Khawaja Salman Rafique was briefed on the monitoring framework, service delivery and steps taken for the convenience of the patients. During the meeting, the report
Child Rights in Focus
The Punjab government has approached the Sindh government to initiate a teaching licence system in the province, similar to Sindh’s. A delegation from the Punjab Education Department met Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah to consult on policies and experiences regarding the process of issuing teaching licences. The meeting in Karachi was attended by Focal Person for the Chief Minister Punjab’s Advisory on Education Shakeel Ahmed Bhatti, Punjab Education Secretary Khalid Nazir Wattoo,
Rawalpindi: The Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) Rawalpindi on August 20 announced the results of the Secondary School Certificate (SSC-1) (9th Class) Examination 2025. The results were declared at 10 a.m. in a ceremony held at the board office, attended by Chairman BISE Rawalpindi Muhammad Adnan Khan, Controller of Examinations Tanveer Asghar Awan, Secretary Professor Amjad Iqbal Khattak, and other senior officials. According to official figures, a total of 128,453 candidates submitted
The Balochistan Child Labour Survey (BCLS) 2023 provides unique information about the living conditions of children in the province as well as their daily activities, including schooling, working, and household chores. The survey employed a two-stage stratified sampling strategy to ensure district-level representativeness across urban and rural areas. In the first stage, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) selected Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) within each Tehsil. In the second stage, following a listing exercise,
ISLAMABAD: Security threats continue to hinder Pakistan’s nationwide polio vaccination efforts as officials reported on August 20 that nearly 800,000 children continually miss their vaccinations, and in response to pressure from donors, a new goal is set to halve this number in hard-to-reach areas of the country. The challenge was outlined by a high-level Rotary International delegation visiting Pakistan, which announced that concerted efforts would be made to improve coverage during the upcoming polio campaign
The interior ministry revealed on August 19 that out of 567 sexual abuse cases registered in Islamabad between January 2021 and June 2025, 200 involved children. Responding in writing to Senator Shahadat Awan, the ministry detailed that among the child victims, 93 were boys and 108 were girls. A total of 222 accused were arrested in connection with these cases. However, only 12 have been convicted so far, while 163 remain under trial, 15
TWENTY-ONE children have been paralysed by polio in Pakistan this year, the latest two in Kohistan and Badin. Each new case is a painful reminder that we remain one of only two countries where the virus still spreads. That a disease wiped out in most of the world still stalks our children is not just a health failure, it is a governance crisis. Billions of dollars have been invested in our eradication programme over
PESHAWAR: Following the devastating floods in northern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial government has closed all educational institutions in the winter zone for a week to “protect the lives of students and staff members.” The natural disaster has killed over 360 people and injured 181 in different districts, mostly in Buner, lately. The other affected districts include Swat, Shangla, Bajuar, Lower Dir, Battagram and Mansehra. Swabi recorded 23 deaths on Tuesday. The education department said
LAHORE: The participants in a seminar at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on 19th September highlighted an alarming rise in violence against religious minorities during the last year. Launched at the seminar, the HRCP’s report, Streets of Fear: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2024/25, documents a deeply troubling year for religious freedom and minority rights in Pakistan. The report points out an alarming rise in violence against religious minorities, including targeted killings of
RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench on 18th August admitted for regular hearing a petition challenging the Punjab government’s decision to extend summer vacations in schools until August 31. The petition was filed by a seventh-grade student arguing that the government’s decision was “arbitrary and unlawful” and violated students’ fundamental right to education under Article 25-A of the Constitution. LHC Justice Jawad Hassan heard the petition. Advocate Hafiz Waqar Ahmed Awan, representing
KARACHI: At least seven people were killed in Karachi on Tuesday after heavy monsoon rains battered the city, flooding neighbourhoods, paralysing traffic and knocking out power, prompting the mayor to enforce a rain emergency. Dark clouds covered the city by afternoon, followed by heavy showers with strong winds in areas such as Surjani Town, Federal B Area, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Qayyumabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Malir, Shahrah-e-Faisal, Nazimabad, and New Karachi. Rainwater quickly inundated major roads and residential streets,
BADIN: In the aftermath of the devastating 2024 floods that swept away homes and halted education across Badin, Government Girls Primary School (GGPS) Chanri has emerged as a symbol of resilience. The GGPS Chanri, once ill-equipped to handle repeated disasters, has been transformed into a safe space for learning and shelter through UK support under the BRAVE (Building Resilience and Addressing Vulnerability in Emergencies) programme. The 2024 floods were not the first to batter