SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Terrorists blew up a government high school building in Birmal tehsil of Lower South Waziristan early on 10th August, the police said. Birmal circle DSP Asghar Ali Shah told Dawn on phone that terrorists planted explosives along the school’s boundary wall as well as inside the premises before fleeing the scene in Qara Bagh area of Azam Warsak. The blast, he said caused severe damage to the boundary wall and also destroyed several classrooms.
Child Rights in Focus
Pakistan has over 19 million child brides, but why does the law still allow underage marriage in most provinces? In this episode of Case In Point, host Rida Hussain breaks down Pakistan’s provincial child marriage laws and their contradictions.
The State of Children in Pakistan 2024 report was prepared by and launched on April 30 this year by the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC). Established by the Federal Government on February 28, 2020 as an independent statutory body, the NCRC has the overarching mandate for the promotion, protection and fulfillment of child rights as enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on 08-August-2025 celebrated the 78th Independence Day of the country with differently-abled children in two heart-warming events held at the Quaid-e-Azam House Museum and the mausoleum of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah. Both events, marked under the theme “Markaz-e-Haq”, highlighted inclusivity, unity, and national pride. The day began at the Quaid-e-Azam House Museum, where the Department of Culture hosted a vibrant programme. Over 100 children from institutions such
LAHORE: The national and provincial leaderships have reaffirmed their commitment to eliminate polio from Pakistan by finalising a comprehensive “Road to Zero” strategy during a two-day National Polio Management Team (NPMT) meeting, which concluded here on 8th August. Chaired by Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio, Ms Ayesha Raza Farooq, the meeting was also attended by Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) coordinators from all four provinces, as well as representatives from Azad Jammu & Kashmir
LAHORE: An elderly man allegedly slit the throats of his daughter and her three children, who have been living with him in his house in Multan, on 8th August. Police said Irshad Bibi (36) had been living with his father, Waris Khokhar, in his house at Basti Malook, along with his minor sons, Ahmed Ali (2), Muhammad Ali (2) and six-month-old daughter Mehnaz, after developing differences with her husband, for the last two weeks.
KARACHI: A sessions court on 8th August sentenced a man to two years in prison for marrying an underage girl. After hearing the complainant counsel Daniyal Muhammad Hussain and the defence side, Judicial Magistrate (East) Noor Ahmed Chandio, found Azhar Ali guilty of marrying the teenage girl under Section 3 of the Sindh Child Marriages Restraint Act, 2013. The court observed that during the trial no substantial evidence was brought on record to exonerate
RAWALPINDI. Access to higher education shrinks amidst soaring merit thresholds Thousands of students across the Rawalpindi Division have been denied admission to leading government colleges despite having passed their matriculation examinations with first, second, or third division, due to increasingly high merit thresholds. At the same time, the cost of academic essentials for first-year students, including subject textbooks, notebooks, registers, practical notebooks, and general stationery, has risen sharply. Uniform prices have also soared, making
RAWALPINDI: A nine-year-old boy, who was abducted from the katchi abadi (informal settlement) area of Westridge Police jurisdiction in Rawalpindi in July, has been recovered from Chishtian, District Bahawalnagar. The rescue operation was made possible through a timely intervention, aided by the Zainab Alert App and swift action taken on local residents’ tip-off by the Bahawalnagar district police chief. One suspect involved in the abduction has been arrested. The boy, who had allegedly been
LAHORE: The Punjab government has extended the school summer vacations in the province because of an ongoing heatwave and health concerns for students. Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat announced that the schools will now reopen on September 1 instead of mid-August, as previously scheduled. “In view of the extreme weather conditions and rising temperatures, the summer break has been extended to ensure the health and safety of students and teachers,” he said in
The Supreme Court on 07-August-2025 disposed of a petition with regard to the kidnapping of a girl after the statement of the girl who deposed that she married of her free will. A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Yahya Afridi inquired the girl whether she married with her free will. The girl replied that she married with her free will and she was not kidnapped. She submitted that she converted to Islam out
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on 07-August-2025 termed Pakistan’s annual population growth rate of 2.55 percent an alarming trend requiring immediate and coordinated policy action at the national level to address the issue. The prime minister chaired a meeting at the PM Office to review the challenges posed by Pakistan’s rising population and to deliberate on effective strategies to manage it, an official news release said. “We need comprehensive planning to ensure our growing