MARDAN: A man from Mardan recounted the tragic incident at the Swat River last week, which claimed at least 16 lives — including his two children, 12-year-old Daniyal and 6-year-old Ishaal. Naseer Ahmed told of his ordeal as he and other people around him were helpless to pull the 17 people of two families from Sialkot and Mardan from the raging waters of Swat River. Speaking to Geo News, Ahmed said: “I called [Rescue]
Child Rights in Focus
The Pakistan Education Statistics Report 2023–24 offers an in-depth analysis of the country’s education system, aligning its findings with the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for inclusive and equitable quality education. Primarily based on public school data for children aged 5–16, the report examines trends in access, equity, financing, and governance. Between 2022–23 and 2023–24, student enrollment rose by 4.03% (from 56.1 to 58.3 million), and the number of teachers increased by 3.15%. However, the
Pakistan’s educational institutions are facing a growing public health and child protection crisis due to increasing drug use among students. The Pakistan Narcotics Control Board (PNCB) estimates that nearly 44% of college and university students have used illicit substances. With nearly two-thirds of the population under 30, this trend poses a serious threat to the country’s future development and stability. The crisis is driven by structural and systemic factors including academic pressure, poverty, lack
MANSEHRA: The education department has established summer camps for schoolchildren who have migrated to the mountainous Spat Valley in Upper Kohistan district. “We have set up five camps where children from 10 schools can continue learning during the summer season,” deputy commissioner Tariq Ali Khan told a meeting in his office in the district headquarters Dasu. With Mr Khan in the chair, the meeting of the District Schools Coordination Committee decided in principle about
Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Memon has announced that in the next financial quarter the recruitment of 4,400 new teachers, the establishment of four new IBA community colleges, and the granting of financial autonomy to 34,000 public schools would begin in the province. In a statement issued to the press on 01-July-2025, Memon said that thousands of deserving students would also receive need-cum-merit scholarships through the Sindh Education Endowment Fund. He said that funds are
ISLAMABAD: Poliovirus has crippled another child in Pakistan, as Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, on 01-July-2025 confirmed the new case of wild poliovirus. The poliovirus was confirmed in a 19-month-old boy from Union Council Miranshah-3 in District North Waziristan, South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This is the eighth polio case from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) this year, raising the national tally of polio cases in 2025 to 14, including
Police say children’s mysterious deaths sparked registration of case against mother RAWALPINDI: On 1st July, the court sent a woman to jail on judicial remand in connection with the mysterious deaths of her three children as a result of alleged poisoning. A murder case was registered against the woman after the children died under mysterious circumstances in Mohalla Raja Sultan, within the jurisdiction of Banni Police Station. Police formally arrested the children’s mother and
Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani issued a detailed verdict nullifying the trial court’s decision ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has overturned a life sentence awarded in a child abduction and rape case, acquitting the convict on the basis of reasonable doubt. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani issued a detailed verdict nullifying the trial court’s decision, which had sentenced the accused, Saleem Ghouri, to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs50,000. According to the judgment, inconsistencies
DERA GHAZI KHAN: Two children were tortured by a landlord and his accomplices after they were caught stealing mangoes from his orchard. The children were taken to a farmhouse, where they were allegedly subjected to physical abuse and later stripped before being sent back home. A video of the naked children was shared on social media, prompting District Police Officer Syed Ali to take immediate action. The police registered a case and arrested one
Punjab government schools face a shortage of 100k teachers LAHORE: Around 65 percent permanent posts of government schoolteachers across Punjab are vacant. The posts include thousands in grade 17 to 20, among them a large number of headmasters and headmistresses as well as senior teachers. An official said the percentage of vacant permanent posts had risen to 65 mainly because of lack of timely promotion of the serving teachers. According to sources in the
Sardar Shah informed that offer letters were issued to 93,118 teachers KARACHI: The Sindh Education Department has completed Pakistan’s largest-ever recruitment process, hiring over 93,000 Primary School Teachers (PST) and Junior Elementary School Teachers (JEST). Sindh’s Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah congratulated the successful candidates, expressing hope that the teachers joining the department will perform their duties with dedication and honesty. In his statement, Sardar Shah informed that offer letters were issued to
Legislation aims to protect and formalise the marital customs of the community Peshawar. In a landmark step toward preserving cultural heritage, Pakistan’s first indigenous Kalash Marriage Bill has successfully passed vetting by the Law Department and will soon be presented to the cabinet before being tabled in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Legislative Assembly. This historic legislation aims to protect and formalize the unique marital customs of the Kalash community, ensuring their traditions are legally