BAHAWALPUR: The Government Girls High School in Sammasatta, one of the oldest government institutions in Bahawalpur district, is facing multiple problems, affecting the education and well-being of its 2,000 students. The school, spread over eight kanals, has only 18 classrooms with 23 sections, forcing students to sit in an open steel and iron-erected shed, braving extreme weather conditions. The shortage of classrooms has led to classes being held in the school’s verandas, which have
Child Rights in Focus
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has underscored the need that courts, particularly family courts and judges of the district judiciary, must hear and respect the voice of the child in cases relating to their custody and guardianship. “This is not an aspirational goal but a binding obligation under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC),” Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah wrote in a judgement on a case related to the custody of
In a horrifying incident of domestic abuse, a man subjected his two minor stepdaughters to torture in the Shah Nawaz Bhutto Colony area of North Karachi and fled the scene. The girls were severely injured after they were brutally beaten up by their stepfather Shehryar, alias Sherry, who fled after committing the crime. Police have registered a case of attempted murder against the stepfather. According to police, the case was registered at the Khawaja
Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) is rapidly reshaping the landscape of education and research, demanding a thoughtful and urgent response from educators and policymakers. As a faculty member and a member of the Advanced Studies and Research Board at a public sector university, I have witnessed both the excitement and the uncertainty that AI tools like ChatGPT have generated within academic circles. While the potential of GenAI to enhance learning and scholarly productivity is undeniable,
The Pakistan Eye Bank Society (PEBS), in collaboration with the Rotary Club of Heidelberg Schloss, launched a ‘School Eye Clinic’ project on 27-May-2025 to screen as many as 60,000 schoolchildren. German Consul General in Karachi Dr Rudiger Lotz inaugurated the project at the PEBS Hospital in North Karachi. Sri Lankan Consul General in Karachi Jagath Abeywarna also attended the inaugural ceremony. In his welcome address, Qazi Sajid Ali, president of the PEBS, recalled: “We
ISLAMABAD: The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Tuesday rejected the Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025 which fixes minimum age for marriage at 18, terming the legislation passed by the National Assembly and Senate against Islam. “The CII at its meeting termed the Child Marriage Restraint Bill which was moved by Sharmila Faruqui MNA in the National Assembly as un-Islamic,” an official statement issued by the CII media wing after the meeting said. The
Rawalpindi. Rawalpindi DC Hassan Waqar Cheema on Tuesday imposed a ban on private schools, academies and colleges across the district from collection of children’s fees for two or three months in a lump sum amount. A warning notice has been issued stating that any institution violating this ban will face strict legal action. All schools are required to collect fees on a monthly basis as usual. The DC has clarified that those parents who
The police registered an FIR of murder against the father on the complaint of the mother RAWALPINDI: A man killed his one-and-a-half-year-old innocent daughter by beating her in the area of Chaklala police station. The police registered an FIR of murder against the father on the complaint of the mother of the deceased girl, Inayat Fatima. The accused managed to escape from the hospital. The mother of the one-and-a-half-year-old deceased girl, Inayat Fatima, Asiya
KARACHI: Two sisters were subjected to a sexual assault in their home in North Karachi, police and doctors said on 27th May. Police Surgeon Summaiya Syed told Dawn that both the girls, aged 15 and 8, were brought to the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi (CHK) by their maternal and paternal uncles at 5:30pm. She said that the girls were examined at the health facility and “findings are strongly suggestive of sexual violence”. Evidentiary samples
GUJRAT: A woman turned out to be the killer of her two minor children in the Rangpur locality of the city as A-Division police on 27th May claimed to have resolved the mystery of the double murder case. The suspect confessed to strangling her five-year-old son and three-year-old daughter to contract a second marriage with a man. A spokesman for Gujrat police said Shafay and Naimat, the children of one Usman Ahmed, were found
KARACHI: A public-private child health initiative launched in the city’s urban slums over two years ago has seen significant improvements in the nutrition and immunisation status of children, presenting a roadmap for scaling up the model in other parts of the province, officials associated with the project shared on 27th May. Funded by the Gates Foundation, the project is made possible through a collaboration between the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI), the provincial health
The death of a ten-year-old girl in a crossfire between robbers and a citizen on 27-May-2025 sparked widespread outrage and protests in Korangi. The victim, Arfa, daughter of Waqar, was shot during a crossfire that erupted when two armed assailants attempted to snatch a motorcycle from a local resident near Kalu Chowk. The citizen resisted the robbery and opened fire, prompting the robbers to retaliate. Amid the exchange of bullets, Arfa was struck and