QUETTA: Over 650,000 children across Balochistan have received emergency treatment through ChildLife Foundation’s Children’s Emergency Rooms and Telemedicine Satellite Centres (TSCs). This achievement has been made possible through the partnership with the Balochistan government. The ChildLife Foundation operates a state-of-the-art Children’s Emergency Room at Sandeman Provincial Hospital, Quetta, along with 32 TSCs in secondary care hospitals across Balochistan. Together, these centers ensure that critically ill children have access to 24/7, free-of-cost emergency care. “Every
Child Rights in Focus
The literacy rate for Pakistan is among the lowest across the world. At 58 percent, the rate is comparable to that of Nigeria (62pc) and Sudan (60pc), while all South Asian peers rank significantly higher. To address this issue, a common approach has been to argue for greater public investment in education. While this remains critical, it is important to consider the other dimension to this problem: how a country’s economy rewards an individual’s
MINGORA: Stressing the need for introducing sweeping educational reforms under a uniform curriculum and language to promote national unity and equality, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) chief Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on 03-August-2025 reiterated his party’s resolve to build a state that prioritises peace and makes education its central pillar. Addressing the graduation ceremony of 1,200 young boys and girls held under the “Bano Qabil Programme” at Wadudia Hall, Saidu Sharif, here, he said that if given the
Naheed, a Hafiz-i-Quran from Mirpurkhas and mother of two, has spent the last eight years within prison walls awaiting a decision on her pending appeal. Her embroidery and crochet work, sold through a prison-run sewing centre, sustains her children on the outside. The failure of her case is not rooted in legal ambiguity — it lies in the systemic absence of legal representation, because the lawyer, assigned to her by the Committee for the
When Fatima was diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) at just three years old, her parents were overwhelmed. Like so many families in similar situations, they faced a maze of uncertainty—confusion, societal stigma, and a painful lack of support services. They wondered if their daughter would ever speak, go to school, or make friends. Then came a turning point: they discovered C-ARTS — a centre established by the Sindh Government in 2018, the first
The Sindh High Court (SHC) has directed a female convert to Islam to approach a guardians & wards court to seek the custody of her children from her former husband, who is Hindu. The direction came on a petition of Laxmee, who changed her name to Maria after her conversion to Islam and seeks the custody of her children from her former husband Krishan. The petitioner said she converted to Islam, then contracted her
At a time when fewer than 2,000 newborn infants in Pakistan genuinely require breast milk substitutes due to maternal death, critical illness or rare metabolic disorders, the country consumes formula milk and baby food worth over Rs110 billion every year, officials and health experts disclosed on 01-August-2025. Senior paediatricians and public health experts say this vast gap between actual medical need and consumption volume raises serious concerns about the aggressive and unchecked marketing tactics
LAHORE: A drug addict allegedly attempted to murder his seven-month-old son by slashing his throat with a sharp weapon in the Manga Mandi area. The suspect identified as Nisar Ali was arrested and an FIR was registered against him under Section 324 of Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). According to police officials and a complaint filed by the victim’s mother, Muqaddas Bibi, the family had arrived from Sahiwal to visit relatives in Peer Colony, Manga
LAKKI MARWAT: Five children were killed and 13 others, including two women, sustained injuries in an explosion caused by a mortar shell in the Langerkhel Surband area of Lakki Marwat district on 02-August-2025. Police and rescue officials said that a group of children found a mortar round in nearby fields and brought it back to their village. The shell exploded when the kids started playing with it near a rainwater-filled underground tank. As a
ISLAMABAD: At least 299 people, including 140 children, have died and more than 700 others have been injured in flash floods and torrential rains that have battered several parts of Pakistan since late June, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on 3rd August. The NDMA said the deluges, which began on June 26, have left a trail of devastation across the country. The dead include 102 men, 57 women and 140 children, while
LAHORE: In Manga Mandi area a drug addict inflicted life-threatening injuries on his six-month-old son on 01-August-2025. According to police, accused Nasir took his infant son, Salar, from his wife at their home in Pir Colony and took him outside, where he wounded the child with a sharp-edged weapon, causing severe throat injuries. The baby was immediately rushed to Jinnah Hospital for emergency treatment. Police have arrested the accused. Preliminary investigations indicate that the
KARACHI: The Pakistan Paediatric Association (PPA) has called for urgent reforms in the national immunisation programme, emphasising the need to extend the age limit for childhood vaccinations from two to five years. It also urged the inclusion of advanced vaccines such as the hexavalent vaccine to ensure broader protection for children against life-threatening diseases. The proposals came during the meeting of PPA delegates led by Dr Khalid Shafi with Federal Health Minister Syed Mustafa