14 years for a minor? A troubling case from Karachi, under the Narcotics laws, highlights the flaws in Pakistan’s criminal justice system and the lack of implementation of the Juvenile Justice System Act (JJSA).
Child Rights in Focus
In Pakistan, every third child is out of school – and the situation is dire in particular for children belonging to the ethnic group of the Pashtuns. Poverty, corruption, terrorist attacks, and traditions that sometimes oppose to secular education all get in the way of these kids. And yet, some don’t give up. In this video, meet Jalal, whose school classes take place in a tent in the mountains – and follow his and
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has virtually discontinued a programme of awarding stipends to girl students enrolled in government schools as it has failed to pay the amount to them during the last three years, according to sources. The stipend programme for girls was introduced by the provincial government formed after 2008 general elections and led by the Awami National Party primarily to retain enrolled girls, increase their attendance and decrease dropout ratio. Sources
MANSEHRA: Federal Minister for Religious Affairs Sardar Mohammad Yusuf on Monday expressed his displeasure over the prolonged delay in reconstruction of schools and health facilities destroyed in the devastating 2005 earthquake in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “There are still schools being run in makeshift shelters and tents in parts of Mansehra district and other regions of Hazara division, but the government has yet to include them in its reconstruction strategy,” Mr Yusuf said while speaking at
BAJAUR: The authorities have ordered immediate reopening of public and private educational institutions in the areas of War Mamund tehsil cleared of terrorists. In a notification issued here on Monday, the education department directed the management of all public and private educational institutions, both boys and girls, in Damadola, Inamkhel, Chinagai, Thani, Biloot, Badan, Dabar, Sewai, and Shinkoot areas to immediately reopen their schools on October 7 (today) to resume academic activities. The notification
BAHAWALPUR: Jahania police in Khanewal district claimed to have arrested an injured history-sheeter wanted in three cases of attempted rape and kidnapping of minors during an ‘encounter’ on Sunday. According to police officials, suspect ‘Sa’, a resident of suburban village 117/10-R, had been booked in three separate cases involving two boys ‘A’ and ‘I’ and a seven-year-old girl, ‘S’. One of the victims reportedly escaped an abduction attempt by jumping off the suspect’s motorcycle
ISLAMABAD: A Senate panel on Monday expressed its grave concerns over what it stated were “uncontrolled fee hikes” being made by private schools in the federal capital. As per regulations of Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (Peira), a school located in the jurisdiction of Islamabad can increase fee by 5pc with a maximum of 8pc hike for higher performing institutions. However, due to weak regulatory check, parents have been facing an unbridled hike in
KARACHI: The Sindh government has decided to introduce automation and an e-marking system in educational boards to improve the quality of education in the province. The announcement was made by the Minister for Universities and Boards Muhammad Ismail Rahoo at a ceremony organised by the All Sindh Private Schools and Colleges Association at Bahria Auditorium, Karsaz, Karachi, to mark World Teachers’ Day and honour students who achieved top positions in examinations. The event’s chief
KARACHI: A sessions court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment in a case pertaining to the rape of a teenage girl. Additional District and Sessions Judge (Central) Mirza Tauseef Ahmed convicted Naseeb Gul alias Imran, who appeared on bail, of committing an offence under Section 376-III (rape of a minor or a person with a mental or physical disability) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The judge passed the order after recording evidence
• 105 women fell prey to karo-kari in Sindh this year alone • State neglects its duties due to political expediency, remarks Anis Haroon • Mehnaz Rehman cites low literacy levels and ignorance behind such killings • IGP has directed police to conduct thorough investigations in such cases KARACHI: Civil society and rights activists have expressed concerns over the poor enforcement of already existing laws to curb the menace of so-called “honour killings”, or
PESHAWAR: Despite state authorities’ assurances that life is returning back to normal in flood-affected areas, for many pregnant women, normalcy feels like a distant dream as they confront the fear of raising their unborn babies without a home, husband, or support system. Every night, 25-year-old Javeria Bibi relives the moment she lost five members of her family in the devastating floods that swept through Buner in August 2025. Eight months pregnant, she carries not
The concerns regarding forced conversion are not a new phenomenon in our part of the world. Almost a century ago the All India Muslim League chalked out the rules for conversion in this region. The All India Muslim League adopted a resolution in December, 1927 at Calcutta which addressed the issue of forced conversion. Historian Ghulam Ali Allana’s book Pakistan Movement: Historic Documents describes the League’s demand as follows: “Every individual or group is