An eight-year-old girl who was abducted in Faisalabad was rescued during a raid at a farm in the Sukhan area of Karachi, and one suspect was arrested. Police said the girl was kidnapped on November 17, and a case of her abduction was registered at a police station in Faisalabad. The police of District Malir used technical and human sources to rescue the girl from a farm on Sukhan Road. Police said the kidnapper
Child Rights in Focus
Experts Warn Cousin Marriage Trend May Lead To Genetic Disorders
November 23, 2024
SUKKUR: Speakers at a seminar at Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, on 21st November warned against irreparable harms of cousin marriage and said it could lead to genetic disorders, including thalassemia, cystic fibrosis, Down syndrome and visual and hearing impairment. A statement issued by the university said that SALU’s Department of Zoology organised the seminar in collaboration with Sukkur Blood and Drug Donating Society on “Impact of consanguinity (cousin marriage) on our society” which
Stakeholders Reaffirm Commitment To Fight Polio
November 23, 2024
Islamabad: A reception hosted by French Ambassador Nicolas Galey at his residence here brought the Polio Oversight Board members and local stakeholders together to reinforce their shared commitment to fighting polio in Pakistan. Currently, a POB delegation, led by board chair Dr Chris Elias and comprising Dr Hanan Balkhy of the World Health Organisation, Sanjay Wijesekera of UNICEF and Dr Andrea Fristedt of the US Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, is currently in
Bail Plea Of Cousin Dismissed In Underage Girl’s Rape Case
November 23, 2024
KARACHI: A sessions court dismissed a pre-arrest bail application of a suspect in a case pertaining to rape of a 10-year-old girl. Additional District and Sessions Judge Ghulam Mustafa Laghri, who is also the presiding officer of the Gender-Based Violence Court (Central), dismissed the pre-arrest bail application after hearing the counsel from both sides. “I am of the humble view that the applicant is not entitled to concession of bail, therefore, the instant bail
Smog and Schooling
November 23, 2024
WHETHER schools are open or closed, it is not going to have much of an impact on smog levels across Punjab. The decision about closing schools has more to do with some notion that children will be less exposed to the smog if they stay at home than if they have to go to school and come back in smoggy conditions. It might work for some children but other issues and some consequences of
Constitutional Bench Takes Suo Motu Notice Of Child’s Abduction
November 23, 2024
ISLAMABAD: The Constitutional Bench of the Supreme Court on 21st November took notice of the kidnapping of a child from Quetta and summoned the police chiefs and home secretaries of all provinces on the next hearing. Headed by Justice Aminud Din Khan, the six-judge bench issued directives on a set of petitions regarding the kidnapping and trafficking of children as well as the recovery of missing children. The case will again be taken up on
5,000 New Classrooms To Be Built In Schools
November 23, 2024
LAHORE: The Punjab government on 21st November announced the construction of 5,000 new classrooms in schools under the Public Schools Reorganisation Programme (PSRP). Presiding over a meeting of the School Education Department to review various projects and their related issues, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz directed the establishment of modern labs to increase the learning capacity of students and announced the release of funds for the construction and maintenance of schools. She also reviewed a
School On ‘Encroached Land’ May Face Demolition
November 23, 2024
The land in question, worth hundreds of millions of rupees, is supposed to be returned to HMC A private school existing at a prime location for over three decades is likely to face demolition as Anti Encroachment Tribunal, Hyderabad, has ordered the authorities to retrieve 1,140 square yards of the encroached land. The Presiding judge Zulfiqar Ali Solangi gave the order on November 21 concerning 1,416 square yards of land located between the Radio
Govt Launches New National Action Plan For Health Security
November 23, 2024
ISLAMABAD: The government has launched a new National Action Plan for Health Security (2024-28), which will help strengthen the capacity of national and provincial health systems to effectively prevent, detect and respond to evolving public health emergencies. National Action Plan for Health Security (2024-28) was presented to stakeholders at an event organised by the Ministry of National Health Services. Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Health Dr Malik Mukhtar Ahmad, Federal Health Secretary Nadeem
Domestic Helper’s Bail Plea Rejected In Sexual Abuse Case
November 22, 2024
KARACHI: A domestic help was held on 20th November within the premises of the City Courts after his pre-arrest bail application was rejected by a sessions court in the case pertaining to sexual abuse of a teenage girl in her DHA phase-6 residence. The man had been employed at the complainant’s residence for the past six months. Earlier, he had worked there between 2008 and 2018 and around six months ago he had returned
Sindh Reports Over 43,000 Polio Vaccine Refusal Cases In One Month
November 22, 2024
• Murad orders action against concerned DCs, SSPs and health officers • Officials say around 69pc of 10.6m children under five in province are fully immunised • Six Sindh districts performed poorly during October campaign, meeting told KARACHI: Over 43,000 cases of vaccine refusal were reported last month in the province saw 66 percent of environmental samples collected from 20 districts testing positive for the poliovirus this year. Taking an exception to the refusal
CM Orders Developing Park In Clifton For Children With Disabilities
November 22, 2024
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah visited the Ujala Centre, a facility dedicated to children with autism and other disabilities, on World Children’s Day, and announced the development of Ujala-II through a partnership between the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPD) and the Ujala Centre in Defence Phase VIII. Shah reaffirmed his government’s commitment to addressing the needs of all children, including those with disabilities and fostering a more inclusive society.