MAILSI: The Punjab Ombudsperson has taken strong notice of the alleged negligence of the Vehari Health Department and the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) in connection with the deaths of four children during a suspected measles outbreak last year, directing the Director General Health Services Punjab to complete disciplinary proceedings and make the findings of the official inquiry public. The case relates to a suspected measles outbreak in July 2025 in Mouza Sandhal, near
Child Rights in Focus
A two-year-old boy who was kidnapped from a private housing society within the jurisdiction of the Manghopir police station on July 18 was recovered safely from Gharo in Thatta district and reunited with his parents following a joint operation by Karachi and Thatta police. Speaking to reporters, SSP West Tariq Ilahi Mastoi said the child, identified as Azaan, son of Wahab Ali, was rescued during a coordinated operation after investigators traced ransom calls to
Researchers, government officials and Unicef representatives on July 20 warned that millions of Pakistani children remained vulnerable to lead poisoning and urged the media to highlight the largely overlooked public health threat and its preventable sources. The call came at a day-long media workshop organised by the Lead Exposure Elimination Project (LEEP) in collaboration with Unicef Pakistan and Commsman Consultants at the Karachi Press Club. More than 30 health and environment journalists from leading
The mystery surrounding the murder of a young girl in District Malir has been solved after an extensive police investigation, which revealed that the child was allegedly killed by her own aunt over domestic disputes and jealousy. The shocking case had initially baffled investigators after the girl’s body was found wrapped in a sack inside the main gate of her family’s house. District Malir police chief Dr Abdul Khaliq Pirzada said the case was
LARKANA: The remains of a girl, aged 10-12 years, were recovered from a dried pond near the Pir Kamal Qureshi shrine in the Ghaibi Dero area of Qambar-Shahdadkot district on July 20. The victim was identified as Nighat, daughter of Abdul Hayee Jahtak Brohi, a resident of Masti Jahtak village. The girl had gone missing six days ago from the shrine. Her family was on a visit to the shrine for rituals and blessings.
GUJRAT: An 11-year-old student of a madressah (seminary) was allegedly gang-raped by his four fellow students, who also recorded a video of the episode, at Kotla Qasim Kham village in Lalamusa Saddar police precincts. The police claimed to have arrested all the four suspects aged between 13 and 16 years. Nawaz Gujjar of Thargla village lodged a complaint with the police that his grandson ‘Z’ had been staying and studying at a seminary at
Six-year-old Muhammad Wali had no idea that there are wolves in sheep’s clothing when he stepped out of his home on the afternoon of July 6 to fetch a small household item. It became the last journey of his life. The little boy, who had left home for only a few moments, remained the focus of an intense two-day search by his family, neighbours and police. But when he was finally found, it was
When summer vacations begin, Sobia Nisar tries to let her six-year-old daughter enjoy the first few weeks without too much structure. There are visits to cousins, occasional trips to the park, time at home, and an effort to keep screen time as low as possible. But keeping a child busy through a long summer in the city is not easy. The heat limits outdoor play, parents cannot take children out every day, and after
SAHIWAL: Kameer Police registered a case against a prayer leader and a mosque caretaker and arrested them for allegedly molesting, raping and recording mobile videos of girl and boy students of their madressah at Chak 116/9-L, Ada Shabeel, Kameer Town. Police booked the qari and the caretaker, residents of Ada Shabeel, under a complaint. According to the report, the Qari had established a mosque and madressah, Jamia Noorul Quran, at Ada Shabeel, and he
LAHORE: A woman and her three children were found dead under mysterious circumstances in a rented house in Valencia Town late on July 17. On being informed of the incident, police and forensic experts rushed to the spot and isolated the scene for investigation. As per the initial reports, the deceased were identified as mother Aleena, and her three children – Rehan (16), Aresha (11) and Arsal (6). The police learnt that the mother
KARACHI: Some 120,000 schoolchildren in Karachi and its surrounding areas will undergo free screening for eye ailments through the School Eye Clinic project set up by the Pakistan Eye Bank Society (PEBS) in collaboration with Rotary Club of Heidelberg-Schloss and the German Consulate during August 2026 and July 2027. This was announced at the PEBS on Thursday after the milestone successful completion of the first phase of the project (from May 2025 to April
Education, deemed as the most significant marker for progress in any nation, is kept at an unbelievably low rung of Pakistan’s priority ladder. Therefore, it comes as no surprise that the country has a literacy rate of only 62.3%, and around 26.2 million out-of-school children aged 5-16. Late-stage capitalism has also seeped into educational institutes that now operate in almost every other residential street for the sole purpose of profit-making – leeching off desperate