PESHAWAR: Members of a UK-based organisation conducted 70 free, non-invasive, and open cardiac surgeries on poor children at Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar (LRH) during their first visit to Pakistan. The mission consisting of 15 paediatric cardiac surgeons representing Muntada AID, a UK-based charity group, in collaboration with paediatric cardiology ward of LRH performed complex heart procedures for which patients were prepared beforehand. Dr Sadia Ilyas, head of the department, said that all procedures and
Child Rights in Focus
The National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) submitted an alternative report to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child as part of Pakistan’s 6th periodic review under the UNCRC. The report highlights key child rights concerns in Pakistan, focusing on child marriage, juvenile justice, and child labor, while pointing to legal gaps and socio-economic challenges. It draws on NCHR’s independent research and consultations, and offers actionable recommendations to strengthen Pakistan’s compliance with
Despite widespread awareness of the benefits of exclusive breastfeeding (EBF), mothers in Karachi’s urban slums face significant barriers that prevent them from fully adhering to recommended practices, a new study has found. Myths, lack of family support, maternal health issues and socioeconomic pressures continue to hinder optimal infant feeding practices even though caregivers understand its importance. These findings came out as a result of a qualitative study conducted in the informal settlements of Rehri
ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Federal Education and Professional Training on 07-July-2025 pushed for stronger educational reforms, and put under scrutiny the Pakistan Institute of Fashion Design (PIFD) amendments, free milk initiative, and special education policy. The committee meeting, presided by its chairperson Senator Bushra Anjum Butt at the Parliament House, reaffirmed its commitment to improving governance, inclusivity, and transparency in education sector. On the agenda item moved by Senator Sarmad Ali regarding
ABBOTTABBAD. A 12 year old domestic help was allegedly raped and murdered at a residential property in Jinnahabad. Mirpur Police identified the victims as a girl who was found murdered at the residence of Harris Latif, an influential figure who originally hails from from Shergarh. A police team swiftly responded, arrested Harris and registered a case. A post-mortem examination conducted at DHQ hospital revealed that the child was indeed subject to sexual assault; her
ISLAMABAD: The Global Partnership for Education (GPE) will provide a $9m grant to improve access to and quality of early childhood and primary education in Balochistan. The funding aims to enhance learning environments and strengthen reading and numeracy skills for boys and girls in GPE-supported schools across the province. GPE, a global initiative to address the education crisis, is coordinating this grant through two key agencies — the World Bank and Unicef. The World
LAHORE: Before schools across Punjab closed for the summer vacation in May this year, a surprising issue came to light: more than 46,000 government teachers in the province were found to be surplus, meaning they were posted at public schools that didn’t actually need them. This was revealed in a briefing to Punjab’s Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat here on 04-July-2025. The School Education Department (SED) officials revealed that hundreds of government schools across
KARACHI: Over 1.6 million children, between five and 17 years of age, in Sindh have been found to be trapped in child labour, revealed the Sindh Child Labour Survey 2022–2024. Conducted by the provincial labour department with technical support from Unicef and the Bureau of Statistics Sindh, the survey also revealed that over half (50.4pc) of child labour victims aged 10-17 worked in hazardous conditions, exposing them to excessive hours, extreme weather and unsafe
The Karachi Police on 4th July said they had arrested the primary suspect allegedly involved in the gang-rape of a girl in Ittehad Town. In a statement issued today, Keamari Senior Superintendent of Police Captain (retired) Faizan Ali said that the Ittehad Town Police had registered the gang-rape case a day ago. He said the incident had occurred on July 1 when the detained suspect had forcibly taken away the victim on his bike
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on 3rd July reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to eradicating polio, vowing to intensify efforts with the support of international, provincial, and local teams to achieve a polio-free country. “We are committed to protect every child in Pakistan from this crippling disease and achieve a polio-free Pakistan,” PM Shehbaz said while presiding over a meeting on polio eradication. He stressed the need for “full dedi-cation and seriousness” to ensure every child
WE just saw the release of the Pakistan Economic Survey 2024-25 and the presentation of the budget for 2025-26. There is a lot that can be said about the economy and the budget, but in this article I want to focus on education and what the Survey and the budget tell us about it and this government’s priorities. All figures in this article are taken from the Economic Survey 2024-25. Empty vessels make the
ISLAMABAD: A special meeting of the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on 3rd July approved six Daanish school projects — in regions of Balochistan and one in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) — with a total estimated cost of Rs19.25 billion. The meeting, chaired by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal, was convened at the prime minister’s directives. The approved projects include the establishment of Daanish schools in the Qilla Saifullah district of Balochistan at an estimated