Breastfeeding is widely recognized as the best source of nutrition for infants, providing significant benefits to both the infant and mother. However, the use of infant formula has become increasingly common on a global scale, largely due to powerful marketing strategies employed by the formula industry. The aim of this report is to explain the newest marketing strategies used by the breastmilk substitute (BMS) industry on social media platforms. The report is based on
Child Rights in Focus
NCRC, Scholars Address Child Marriage, Birth Registration
August 7, 2024
Islamabad: NCRC Pakistan, convened 3rd meeting of its Working Group of Religious Scholars. Agenda for the meeting was to initiate a dialogue on crucial issues like Child Marriage and Birth Registration among the religious leaders/scholars and to present research being conducted by NCRC in collaboration with UNICEF Pakistan and Oxford University. Key findings of the study were shared and the participants gave their insights on the subject and reaffirmed their commitment to support NCRC
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has ordered the recovery of a minor girl in her custody case and directed police to produce her before the court today at all costs. The court observed that if the girl is outside the limits of Islamabad, then she should be recovered with the help of the Azad Kashmir police. The IHC further said that if the SHO of the Shehzad Town Police Station fails to produce
In a concerted effort to combat the poliovirus, which has been detected in environmental samples throughout Karachi, around 1.037 million children between the ages of four months and five years will be targeted in the next campaign, officials said on Monday. They said the children would be vaccinated with a fractional dose of inactivated poliovirus vaccine (fIPV) alongside the oral polio vaccine (OPV) during a special drive in the high-risk union councils of the
MDCAT: A False Hope On The Horizon
August 6, 2024
The costs of depriving meritorious individuals of entry into the healthcare system manifest as healthcare breakdowns. Though the announcements of academic opportunities and exams in a transparent socioeconomic and political setting might elicit excitement among prospective aspirants, the same in our part of the world ignites cascades of desperation and adds to frustration for good. This is because the fate of most entrance tests or employment opportunities is rarely determined by the standards of
Colleges Told To Admit 20% More Students
August 6, 2024
SAHIWAL: The Higher Education Department has asked public sector colleges across the province to ensure 20 percent more admissions in intermediate this year. Sahiwal Government College Principal Dr Mumtaz Ahmad confirmed receiving the HED direction. Sources close to the situation say the admission target last year was 600,000 but hardly 500,000 students could be admitted. This year the target has been increased to 800,000. A source close to the DPI Colleges, Lahore, also confirmed
Landlord Booked For Gunning Down Peasant’s 10-year-old Son
August 6, 2024
HYDERABAD: A 10-year-old boy was allegedly shot dead by a landowner over a petty issue in the Husri area on 3rd August. The boy, Tahir Mallah, died instantly after he received a single shot, according to his parents. The bereaved family is a resident of Bacho Mirbahar village of the Seri area which falls within the jurisdiction of the Husri police station. The boy’s mother, Ms Begum alias Beego Mallah, lodged a murder FIR
Gender-Based Violence Cases Doubled In Punjab: Report
August 5, 2024
ISLAMABAD: The Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP) on Friday expressed grave concern over significant increase in gender-based violence (GBV) nationwide while citing a recent report titled, “Unveiling Shadows: An Overview of Gender-Based Violence Cases, 2023”. The report, which provided an in-depth analysis of GBV trends throughout the country, focuses on cases adjudicated under the Pakistan Penal Code and the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016 (Peca) during 2023. In response to the urgent need
Reconciliation Between Family Of Murdered Maid, Main Accused
August 5, 2024
KARACHI: In a shocking development, the family of Fatima Furiro, a minor girl found dead under suspicious circumstances at the Haveli of the influential Pir of Ranipur last year, has reconciled with the main accused, Asad Shah Jeelani. Adding to this, other eyewitnesses and close relatives of Fatima Furiro have also cleared all accused persons, including Asad Shah, his wife Hina Bibi, and his father-in-law Fayaz Shah, of any wrongdoing. In affidavits submitted to
ISLAMABAD: A day after two more children were found affected by the poliovirus in Balochistan, a six-year-old boy in the Chakwal district of Punjab has been paralysed by the Wild Poliovirus 1, raising the total polio cases to 12 in Pakistan this year, officials said on Saturday. “The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health Islamabad has confirmed the detection of Type-1 Wild Poliovirus (WPV1) in the stool specimen
FDE Under Fire Over Short Weekend For Educators
August 4, 2024
Islamabad: The Federal Directorate of Education has directed principals of the public sector schools and colleges in Islamabad Capital Territory to ensure that teachers hold remedial classes on Saturdays. As per the FDE notification, all public sector schools in the Islamabad Capital Territory will be open every Saturday starting August 10 for remedial classes and foundational literacy, and to promote activities like sports and mind games. These sessions will be two hours long and
A sessions court has awarded a collective sentence of 17 years imprisonment to a couple in a case pertaining to kidnapping and raping a minor girl. Ghulam Rasool and his wife Zaiba alias Naseem were found guilty of kidnapping a ten-year-old girl from Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre and taking her to their house, where the man assaulted her in September 2020. Additional Sessions Judge (South) Ashraf Hussain Khowaja pronounced his judgment after recording evidence