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
Child Rights in Focus
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
BAJAUR: Authorities shut all educational institutions in Lowi Mamund and War Mamund tehsils of Bajaur until August 8 owing to the prevailing security situation in the region, according to a notification issued here on August 1. The notification issued from the deputy commissioner’s office said that the move was taken as per the decision of the additional chief secretary for interior and tribal affairs, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The notification, a copy of which was available
TAXILA: To raise awareness about the newly introduced Birth and Death Registration Rules, 2025, a seminar was organised by the district administration in collaboration with the local government and Community Development department at the District Council Hall in Attock on 1st August. Officials, including the deputy director of local government, delivered comprehensive presentations and briefings on the new rules and regulations. Key attendees included PML-N leader Malik Hameed Akbar, Additional Deputy Commissioner General Anil Saeed,
SWAT: As the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa claims to promote its flagship Sehat Card Plus health initiative as a game-changer for poor, patients in Swat and other districts of Malakand division find themselves abandoned in their most desperate hours. Despite having state-of-the-art cardiac facilities in several private hospitals in Swat, patients in urgent need of heart surgeries are being denied treatment under Sehat Card Plus, forcing them to travel to Peshawar, often without the
LOWER DIR: A 15-year-old girl purportedly distressed by her matric exam result took her own life in the Gandigar Payeen area of Upper Dir the other day. According to police, the student, identified as Anmol, had secured 1010 marks out of 1200 in the recently announced SSC results by Malakand Board. Despite her high score, she considered her performance unsatisfactory and, in a moment of emotional distress, shot herself with a firearm. She was
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has launched ‘ILMpact’, an initiative to enrol 80,000 out-of-school children in eight districts of the province and improve quality of education, in collaboration with United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). The programme, according to an official statement issued here on Thursday, is being implemented through British Council. It was officially launched by Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur at a ceremony at Chief Minister’s House. The ceremony
An eight-year-old boy was shot dead in the Gulshan-e-Maymar neighbourhood of on 31-July-2025. The incident took place in Muhammadpur Society. Police and rescue teams transported the victim to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where he was identified as Raza, son of Allah Bachaya. According to a Karachi Police spokesperson, initial investigations suggested that the child was targeted due to personal enmity. Unidentified assailants reportedly opened fire in the area, striking the boy in the head. However,