ISLAMABAD: A 14-year-old girl from Nankana district has died of diphtheria at the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS), Islamabad, while two more children one from Buner, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and another from Swabi remain critically ill in the isolation ward, highlighting Pakistan’s deepening immunization crisis, federal health officials confirmed on July 26. All three are lab-confirmed cases of diphtheria a vaccine-preventable disease virtually eradicated in most parts of the world, but now resurging in
Child Rights in Focus
ISLAMABAD: The alleged murderer of teenage TikToker Sana Yousaf in his confessional statement admitted to have committed the crime, claiming he acted out of suspicion of betrayal. Omar Hayat, the prime suspect in the case, recorded his statement under Section 164 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) before a local magistrate. In his confession, Hayat detailed the motive behind the killing, how the crime was committed, his escape plan, and where he disposed of the murder
In a swift and well-coordinated operation, Khawaja Ajmer Nagri police on 25-July-2025 recovered a three-year-old girl, Rehana, who was abducted from Shahnawaz Bhutto Colony. The key suspect involved in the kidnapping had also been arrested. The operation was led by Station House Officer (SHO) Sarfraz, popularly known as “Commando,” who, along with his team, utilised modern technical tools, local surveillance, and intelligence sources to trace and rescue the child within 24 hours. The police
LAHORE: “World Drowning Prevention Day raises awareness about the importance of taking precautions,” said Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz in her message on the occasion on 25-July-2025. She said, “The theme of this year’s Drowning Prevention Day, organized by the WHO, is ‘Anyone can drown, but no one should drown’. Water is a symbol of life, but if not taken seriously, it can also lead to death.” “Millions of people around the world lose
HYDERABAD: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on 25-July-2025 inaugurated a newly built mother & child healthcare centre at Jamshoro’s Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS), a milestone in the province’s efforts to improve maternal and child health care, and a symbol of Pakistan-Japan friendship. The project, supported by the Japan International Cooperation Agency, adds 128 beds to the facility, raising the LUMHS’s capacity to 856. Completed under the Annual Development
CM Murad says every child in Sindh is within 30-minute reach of emergency healthcare HYDERABAD: The Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who inaugurated a mother and child health facility in Jamshoro district on Friday, has boasted that emergency pediatric healthcare units presently existed within 30 minutes reach in the province. “Today, every child in Sindh is within a 30-minute reach of emergency care,” the CM said at the inaugural of the new
Teenage gang busted for manipulating underage individuals KARACHI: Minors in the city are being exposed to drugs, subsequently engaging in criminal activities under the influence of these substances, according to recent reports. Sachal police apprehended the ringleader of a teenage gang, Ghulam Muhammad Ali, who allegedly manipulated minors by getting them addicted to hashish and ice (crystal methamphetamine) in order to exploit them for robberies. Three of his accomplices, Rizwan, Azhar, and Yaseen, were
LAHORE: Delays in procurement of oxygen cylinders, lack of adherence to safety protocols have caused the deaths Where the Punjab government claims to be spending billions of rupees on the health sector, nurseries at public hospitals remain in a deplorable state. With air conditioning units dysfunctional, ventilators out-of-order, oxygen short in supply, and specialist doctors off-duty, infants in need of extra care are rarely given a chance at life. According to data obtained by
Govt institutions show improvement in pass rates LAHORE: The Punjab School Education Boards (BISE) have announced the matriculation exam results for 2025 in which private schools have taken top positions in all eight Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BiSE). However, government schools also have shown a major improvement in pass rates, which experts say is a good sign of education reforms starting to work. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif congratulated the position-holding students
SWABI. Police have arrested a cleric for allegedly subjecting a six-year-old boy to physical abuse for arriving late at the mosque, according to a press release issued by the District Police Officer (DPO) Office. Complainant Muhammad Asim informed the police that his son, Muhammad Esa, who is enrolled in religious studies at Jamia Mosque Dheranay, Meera Dhoke, Chota Lahore, was severely beaten by the mosque’s cleric, Muhammad Sohail. The child was reportedly struck with
Pakistan stands at a critical demographic and health crossroads. With one of the highest maternal mortality ratios in the world outside Africa, a population of almost 250 million, high food insecurity and limited water, there is an urgent need for population policy reforms that keep the living alive while reducing the pace of new additions. Birth spacing could be an important tool towards this goal. The practice is straightforward — deliberate intervals between pregnancies to
KARACHI: Over 400 employees at the Sindh Government Children’s Hospital in Karachi, operated under a public-private partnership, have reportedly gone unpaid for the past four months. Staff members have warned the administration that if their salaries are not disbursed by August, they will launch protest demonstrations. Speaking to The Express Tribune, hospital administrators confirmed the delay in salary payments. They assured that pending dues would be cleared next month, adding that the hospital’s budget