ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Friday unanimously passed a significant bill seeking stringent laws and penalties to curb child marriages and protect girls from becoming mothers in their teens. The bill, tabled by MNA Sharmila Faruqui, was not on the agenda of the proceedings but was introduced by suspending relevant rules. Once the bill becomes an act, it will be implemented in the federal capital and no court other than that of the district
Child Rights in Focus
LAHORE: Extreme hot weather has disturbed academic activities, especially for children in small private schools because of poor facilities in classrooms. The situation is alarming in the schools operating in small buildings in cities, including Lahore, which even lack adequate facilities of fans and water. Students in remote districts also suffer during the closing and mid-day hours of schools when the temperature rises. The Punjab government is likely to consider closing the educational institutions
PHC rejects publishers’ plea, allows KPTBB to adopt national curriculum books for grades IX-XII PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court has dismissed a writ petition filed by local publishers, effectively lifting a long-standing stay order and allowing the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Textbook Board (KPTBB) to proceed with the adoption and printing of textbooks aligned with the Single National Curriculum (SNC) for classes IX to XII. The verdict was delivered by a Division Bench comprising Justice Syed Arshad
In a major step toward improving civil registration services in Sindh, the Local Government & Housing Town Planning Department (LG&HTP), Health Department, and National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on 15-May-2025 signed a trilateral agreement to enhance and expand digital birth registration across the province. Officials said that, under this agreement, the Civil Registration Management System (CRMS) and birth notification tool will be deployed in public health facilities, enabling real-time digital reporting of births
Education dept proposes Rs90b for fiscal year 2025-26 to address issues in 43,000 schools RAWALPINDI: The Punjab Education Department has proposed a budget of Rs90 billion for the fiscal year 2025-26 to address missing facilities in 43,000 public schools across the province. This marks a significant increase from the Rs20b allocated annually over the past five years — a hike of Rs70b this year alone. Detailed proposals have been formally submitted to the provincial finance
Mr. Imtiaz Ahmed Sumro Advocate has more than twenty years of experience in the field of child protection and legal aid. In this video, he shares how to tackle child sexusl abasement cases.
Forced child labor is a complex issue that affects millions of children worldwide, including in Pakistan. It is a violation of children’s rights and a serious obstacle to their development, education, and future prospects. Poverty, lack of education, and debt bondage force children to work in brick kilns, often in hazardous conditions. Weak enforcement of labor laws and inadequate protections enable exploitation, trapping families in a cycle of poverty and forcing children to sacrifice
A minor boy was found dead in a religious seminary in Gadap City’s Jameel Colony near the Super Highway on 14-May-2025. The Gadap City police said that the victim’s family had alleged that he was sexually assaulted before being murdered. According to a Karachi Police spokesperson, the body was recovered from Madrassa Khalid bin Waleed. The deceased was identified as 12-year-old Mujeebur Rehman, son of Abdul Bari. The police, citing initial investigations, revealed that
QUETTA: Balochistan government has decided to integrate Bolan Medical Complex and Sandeman Provincial Hospital with the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) for registration of birth and death certificates, Local Government and Rural Development Secretary Abdul Rauf Baloch said on 13th May. Mr Baloch called the initiative a significant move towards digitisation. “The birth and death certificates have already been fully digitised in cooperation with Nadra,” he said during a meeting. “Further measures are
BATTAGRAM: Five children were injured when a masked gunman opened fire on a school van traveling from the suburban area of Peerhai to Battagram on 13-May-2025 morning. Police officials said the injured were initially provided first aid and later shifted to Ayub Medical Complex in Abbottabad for advanced treatment. They said the attacker allegedly targeted the vehicle due to a personal feud with the driver, who was not in the van at the time
Districts with 50% or more out-of-school children to face urgent govt intervention PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to declare an education emergency in districts where the rate of out-of-school children is 50 percent or higher. The decision was made during a meeting of the Elementary and Secondary Education Department on Monday, chaired by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur. The meeting included a detailed discussion on improving the quality of education in government
HYDERABAD: A couple and their two minor sons were found brutally murdered in their house in Jamshoro district on night, while their three-year-old daughter is feared to have been kidnapped by the killers. The residents of Khuda Ki Basti reported to the SITE police that stench was spreading from a house in their neighbourhood after which the cops went into the house, found the bodies with slit throats and stab wounds. The deceased have