ISLAMABAD: Health authorities have confirmed a new case of wild poliovirus in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, marking the first instance of the virus reported from the region. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed a new case in 23-month-old male child from District Diamer, Gilgit-Baltistan. “This is the first case of wild poliovirus reported from GB and the eleventh confirmed case in Pakistan this year.”
Child Rights in Focus
PESHAWAR: Rejecting the Child Marriage Restraint Bill, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl (JUIF) chief Maulana Fazlur Rahman on 01-June-2025 said that ease was being created for the promotion of adultery in the country, while the process of nikah was being made difficult under the pretext of so-called legislation. “There is no restriction of age for marriage in Islam. The only restriction is the attainment of puberty, which may occur at the age of 10, 12 or 14,”
GILGIT: A new case of wild poliovirus has been reported from Tangir Valley in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Diamer district, with preliminary lab analysis linking the virus to a strain previously detected in Karachi’s Liaquatabad area, officials told The News on 01-June-2025. According to health sources, the affected child is a two-year-old boy who had received oral polio drops but had not completed the full course of routine immunisation, which is essential for full protection against the
UNICEF Pakistan provided technical support in drafting the policy, ensuring alignment with international standards. The Punjab Cabinet, under the leadership of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, has officially approved the province’s first comprehensive Child Protection Policy, marking a significant milestone in the protection of children’s rights. The policy, developed by the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, aims to provide a structured and effective roadmap to prevent child abuse, neglect, violence, and exploitation. It was approved
In this clip, host Mehnaz Parveen talks to Usama Khilji (Director, Bolo Bhi) about online harassment, the issue of private video sharing, and the legal routes available in Pakistan. From the role of the FIA to the support offered by Digital Rights Foundation, here’s what you need to know.
UNICEF’s National Ambassador for Child Rights, Saba Qamar, highlights the impact of child marriage on young girls’ futures and calls for unified action to protect children.
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has initiated the process to extend the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act to Khyber Institute of Child Health Peshawar and Saidu Group of Teaching Hospital Swat. In a letter, the department directed the medical superintendent of the SGTH Swat and director of the KICH to “provide budgetary details on priority to proceed with the plan of bringing both institutes under the Medical Teaching Institutions Reforms Act (MTIRA).” They
KARACHI: The Sindh Education Department has stated that five million sets of books have been printed and delivered to government schools free of cost. In a statement issued here on Sunday, the department said that the Sindh Textbook Board (STBB) has completed the distribution of free textbooks across the province for the academic year 2025–26. Out of the five million sets, 4.5m were allocated to public schools, while 500,000 were provided to schools under
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur here on 1st June announced to provide furniture to all enrolled students of government schools under the educational emergency. He directed relevant authorities to ensure that provision of furniture to every government school was completed during the next fiscal year. He said that no students in public sector school should sit on floor owing to non-available of furniture, according to an official statement. It said that chief
SUKKUR: The Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) has urged the establishment of remand homes, women and children police stations and shelter homes for senior citizens in Sukkur to help pave the way for a more inclusive and supportive society. SHRC chairperson Iqbal Ahmed Detho said at a training session on capacity building of police officers in human rights education organised by his organisation here on May 31 that remand and shelter homes were important
“Recent studies show that school and college students are using e-cigarettes and other smokeless tobacco (SLT) forms, more than adults everywhere, and about 37 million young population aged 13-15 is using tobacco globally. Surprisingly in Pakistan, 1,200 to 1,500 youngsters begin smoking every day, and this results in hundreds of thousands of new smokers each year, many of whom will suffer from tobacco-related illnesses in the future.” These views were shared by Muhammad Qasim,
LOWER DIR: Despite Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government’s claims of imposing an ‘education emergency’, the dismal condition of a primary school in Tangu Manz area of Rabat Dara paints a different picture. During a visit to the school on Saturday, social activist Daim Shah told journalists that over 700 boys and girls were enrolled in the school, yet a majority of them were forced to study under the open sky due to a severe shortage of