HYDERABAD: The Sindh Human Rights Commission chairperson Iqbal Ahmed Detho has urged civil society to ensure provision of timely legal aid and essential needs such as appropriate clothing and safe living conditions to inmates at correctional centres. He said during a visit of Youthful Offenders Industrial School (YOIS) and Women Prison in Hyderabad on July 12 that rehabilitation of women and children was the sole purpose of the establishment of separate prisons for the
Child Rights in Focus
LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Peshawar has arrested a suspect linked to the uploading and sharing of child pornographic content on the video-sharing platform TikTok. The arrest follows a Cyber Tipline alert received from the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). According to official report, a TikTok account was found involved in circulating abusive material involving children. The tipline also flagged a mobile number associated with the account,
ABBOTTABAD: Thousands of citizens in Abbottabad staged a protest on 11 July 2025, demanding swift justice for 13-year-old Iqra, who was brutally raped and murdered at her employer’s home. Police arrested the prime accused, Haris Latif. Protesters, including prominent leaders from various political and religious parties, lawyers, and journalists, gathered near the Deputy Commissioner’s Office, demanding the public execution of the accused. Their chants for swift justice echoed loudly, with the primary demand being
One-third children drop out of primary education: UNICEF report LAHORE. Punjab accounts for 10 million of the estimated 26 million out of school children in the country, according to a UNICEF report. The report released recently stated that Pakistan had one of the world’s highest ratios of out-of-school children. Thousands of the children left out of school are believed to be serving in workshops and factories. The report revealed that only 66 percent of
The heartbreaking loss of 20 infants — mostly newborns — at Pakpattan’s District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital between June 16 and 22 is a damning indictment of systemic healthcare failures. While five health officials, including the Health CEO and Medical Superintendent, have been remanded, the initial inquiries reveal a tragedy rooted in layers of negligence and dysfunction that demand intense reforms and punitive measures alone. Initial probes suggest 15 babies were born in perilous conditions at private
Recently concluded 2025 annual examinations for SSC, HSC will follow the old grading system KARACHI: The implementation of the new grading policy at the matriculation and intermediate levels across Sindh and the rest of Pakistan has been postponed for one year. As a result, the recently concluded 2025 annual examinations for Secondary School Certificate (SSC) and High School Certificate (HSC) will follow the old grading system. The Sindh Universities and Boards Dept has issued
A Karachi court on 11-July-2025 allowed an application filed by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) seeking transfer of a child trafficking case against incarcerated social worker Sarim Burney to a federal anti-corruption court. FIA Investigation Officer (IO) Bilal Ahmed moved the application before Judicial Magistrate (East) Yusra Ashfaq to transfer the case from this court to a special court anti-corruption (Central-II) Karachi over lack of jurisdiction in the light of the recent amendment to
Further investigations are ongoing, with a final forensic report to provide conclusive evidence KARACHI: A case of sexual assault and murder has shaken Khokhrapar Malir Extension Colony, after the body of 16-year-old Areeba was found in a street with a noose around her neck. Police had registered a murder case under Section 302 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC), against unidentified armed suspects, on the complaint of the victim’s father, and the post-mortem examination
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan faces a significant education crisis, with an estimated 25.37 million out-of-school children (OOSC) aged 5–16. Non-Formal Education (NFE) serves as a vital alternative, providing flexible and accessible learning opportunities for these children. This was revealed in a report titled “Pakistan’s Non-Formal Education Report 2023–24,” launched at Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU). “This number [of OOSC] has risen alarmingly, influenced by the impacts of COVID-19 and recent floods. Recent years have witnessed significant
The ranking of 10 countries with the best education systems in 2025 has been released. According to the Global Intelligence Unit’s Education Report 2025, the United States ranks first, the United Kingdom second and Australia third. These three countries spend five to six per cent of their GDP on education. Pakistan spends 1.9 per cent of its GDP on education, which is the lowest in South Asia, while India spends 4.6 per cent of
Islamabad: On the occasion of World Population Day 2025, the First Lady Aseefa Bhutto Zardari called for a renewed national commitment to the health, dignity, and empowerment of every individual; especially women, children, and youth across the country, says a press release. “On this day, we are reminded not only of numbers, but of the lives and stories behind them — of the mothers, children, and families who form the heart of our nation,”
Islamabad: Federal Minister for Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on 10-July-2025 announced that the Federal Non-Formal Education Policy 2025 was currently in development, with the ambitious objective of achieving a ‘zero out-of-school children’ target. He also declared that the National Action Plan for Non-Formal Education 2025 was also in the works to support that goal. During the launch of Pakistan’s Non-Formal Education Report 2023-24 on the main campus of the Allama