TOBA TEK SINGH: A youth allegedly raped two minor sisters at gunpoint at Chak 357-JB, Gojra, on 8th November. As per police, a labourer “S” would go for work, leaving his three minor daughters at his house in the village as his wife had died. In his absence, the suspect, a vagabond, allegedly raped Shahbaz’s eldest 14-year-old daughter “Z” at gunpoint for two months, threatening to kill her and her sisters, if she complained
Child Rights in Focus
RAHIM YAR KHAN: The buildings of 22 government schools in four tehsils of Rahim Yar Khan district, which were declared dangerous by the district education authority (DEA) in March 2024, are still waiting for action by the administration and departments concerned while the students are forced to attend classes in the open in inclement weather conditions. According to a letter, dated 06-03-2024, the DEA chief executive officer (CEO) had informed the executive engineer (EXEN)
LAHORE: Students of different schools on 8th November set a new world record by forming a massive ‘human national flag’ here. According to a press release, over 10,000 students, including those of the Army Public School Lahore, gathered in a ground and set a new world record by participating in the formation of the world’s largest national flag. The previous world record was held by India, where 7,368 students had formed Indian flag and
ISLAMABAD: Poliovirus has crippled one more child in Pakistan, this time in the Ghotki district of Sindh, where a 3-year-old boy who had not received a single dose of Routine Immunization (RI) has been paralyzed for life. This marks Pakistan’s 47th case of wild poliovirus type-1 (WPV1) in 2024 and the first from Ghotki, with previous cases concentrated in regions like Balochistan and Sindh. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National
Islamabad: Pakistan has made a landmark pledge to strengthen child protection systems and enhance its legal framework to safeguard children from all forms of violence. The pledge was made by Ministry of Human Rights at the inaugural Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence against Children in Bogota, Colombia on 07-November-2024. The conference, attended by representatives from more than 100 countries, brought together governments committed to addressing the pressing issue of violence against children. Pakistan’s commitments
PESHAWAR: Police arrested a transgender person on the charges of kidnapping a girl. It was learnt that officials of Chamkani Police Station arrested a transgender, Iftikhar for allegedly kidnapping a girl to marry her. The transgender is said to be an employee at a hospital and was operating social media accounts as a boy. “He befriended the girl on social media and convinced her to leave her house for him last month,” said an
LAHORE: An important meeting regarding the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme was held in the Department of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education under the chairmanship of Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique. Parliamentary Secretary Rushda Lodhi participated in the meeting. Punjab Health Secretary Azmat Mehmood Khan, Special Secretary Development Syed Wajid Ali Shah, Special Secretary Operations Tariq Mehmood, Additional Secretary Dr Waheed, Vice Chancellor University of Child Health Sciences Prof Masood Sadiq, CEO
Punjab goes virtual again as schools shut down As Punjab province wrestles with deadly smog and an alarming AQI, the provincial on November 6 announced the closure of all educational institutions from November 7 to 17, sending students back to online learning reminiscent of the pandemic-times shift. The drastic measure came in response to an alarming spike in the AQI which has soared past 1,000, prompting an environmental emergency. The decision, made in consultation
ISLAMABAD: The education ministry has started work to set up the Islamabad Education Authority (IEA) to merge several educational departments in a bid to “promote” quality education in the federal capital. According to sources, a draft to establish the authority has been prepared and after consultations, a bill to this effect will be tabled in parliament for approval. Education Joint Secretary Syed Junaid Akhlaq told Dawn that the education authority was under consideration. An officer said
LAKKI MARWAT: Unknown miscreants attacked an under-construction building of a girls’ primary school in Bannu on 6th November. A police official said the incident occurred in Shah Najeeb Landidak Naikum Kallay area in the limits of Haved police station. He said that the miscreants hurled a grenade towards the building, which exploded with a bang. However, he said the blast did not cause any loss of human lives or damage to the building. He
SAHIWAL: Farid Town police have arrested a youth for allegedly forcing a sixteen-year-old girl to drink acid over rejection of his marriage proposal at 90/6-R village, leaving the victim in critical condition. As per Rescue 1122 officials, the girl has been shifted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of the Sahiwal Teaching Hospital, where doctors are treating her for critical damage to her alimentary canal, kidneys and acid burns to her neck and lips.
LAHORE: Expressing its concern over the possibility of misuse of mental health law to curtail liberty of a person, the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) has directed the Punjab government to consider amendments to the Mental Health Ordinance 2001 as proposed by a woman activist. The NCHR passed instructions to the provincial secretary for Specialized Healthcare & Medical Education Department and the Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) on a complaint against the alleged misuse