PESHAWAR: The Educational Testing and Evaluation Agency (ETEA) has successfully conducted the Computer-Based Test (CBT) for the award of scholarships to students of 6th and 7th grades from government schools across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). Officials said the initiative reflected the commitment of the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa towards ensuring a fair, transparent, and technologically advanced examination system. “The scholarship programme is aimed at providing talented students with fully funded education up to the 12th
Child Rights in Focus
LAHORE: Punjab will launch the first National Immunisation Days (NIDs) of 2025 on 3rd February, aiming to immunize 23.3 million children under five against polio. Head of the Punjab Polio Programme Adeel Tassawar emphasized the urgency of the campaign, citing genetic sequencing data that confirms the circulation of both local and imported poliovirus in the province. “The presence of poliovirus in environmental samples underscores the need for heightened vigilance, swift responses, and a collective
A court has dismissed the bail application of a man in a case pertaining to alleged abduction of a teenage girl from Karachi. Azhar Ali was booked for allegedly kidnapping a 15-year-old girl from Karachi’s Gulshan-e-Iqbal and trafficking her to Naushehro Feroze last month. He moved an application before Judicial Magistrate (East) Gul Zamir Solangi through his lawyer seeking post-arrest bail. After hearing arguments from both sides and perusing the case record, the magistrate
The Karachi administration on 01-February-2025 launched a direct outreach campaign to engage parents who had refused polio vaccinations for their children in recent drives, in an effort to bolster polio eradication efforts. The initiative aims to ensure full parental cooperation, so no child is left without the crucial vaccine. In the first phase of this campaign, a list has been compiled of parents in District East who had previously declined polio drops. Karachi Commissioner
THATTA: In a landmark verdict, Thatta sessions court on 1st February sentenced two accused to death after finding them guilty of abducting, sexually assaulting and murdering a seven-year-old girl in Gharo in December 2019. The incident had sent shockwaves through the area’s residents as one of the convicts was the victim’s close relative. The accused Irshad Mallah, the victim’s own uncle, and Sikandar Shah kidnapped Dua Wasayo Mallah, took her to a jungle where
“In this country, we’re not even counted based on accurate data, let alone having the opportunity to list our issues,” lamented Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah during a youth conference on 01-February-2025. Titled ‘Challenges and Solutions for 21st Century Youth’, the conference was organised by the provincial sports & youth affairs department. Shah was speaking during a session on gaps in the education system. The panel also included journalists, intellectuals and Indus
BAHAWALPUR: Two minor boys were allegedly raped in separate incidents in the areas of Qutabpur in Lodhran and Mailsi in Vehari districts on 31st January. In the first case, a nine-year-old boy was allegedly raped by a man on Sui Gas Road, Qutabpur, Lodhran district. The victim’s father, Mudassar, in his complaint to police stated that his son was lured by the suspect to a place and was subjected to sexual assault. Qutabpur police
BEING one of the two countries — out of 194 member states of the World Health Organisation — that have not been able to eradicate polio is a persistent national embarrassment; 192 countries have managed to get rid of the virus, which cripples children for life. These include the poorest of the poor countries in Africa, nations in a chronic state of emergency such as Somalia, Yemen and Palestine, and all our immediate neighbours
RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi police said on 31st January it arrested as many as 87 beggars in the last 24 hours as part of their efforts to curb professional panhandling in the garrison city. A spokesperson for the police said professional alm seekers created inconvenience to citizens by obstructing traffic. He claimed that some of them were also involved in crimes including drug peddling and theft. The crackdown comes hot on the heels of the
On Friday, walks were held in Ganjmandi and RA Bazaar areas to raise awareness about the dangers of kite flying and aerial firing. Scores of citizens and police officials participated in the awareness walks. Police officers also gave awareness lectures in various educational institutions to prevent kite flying and aerial firing in the city as part of the drive, a spokesperson said. Officials also distributed pamphlets in mosques and door-to-door campaigns to prevent the
The Sindh High Court (SHC) has observed that the issues of gender-based violence and societal oppression demand continued attention and action from both the legal system and society as a whole. Issuing an order on a petition of a 14-year-old minor girl Shahzadi who had sought protection against her ex-spouse, a single bench of the SHC comprising Justice Sana Akram Minhas observed that though the protection plea had been granted, the counsel for the
ALPURI: Three children lost their lives in Sangarai area in the Shangla district after consuming “toxic” snacks while another child was under treatment at Saidu Sharif Hospital in Swat. It was learned that a group of children fell ill after having papad which they had bought from a local shop. They were rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Alpuri, where two of them died. The third child was referred to Saidu Sharif Hospital