THE first 1,000 days of a child’s life often shape decades to come. In Pakistan, where chronic malnutrition has long harmed childhood development, an evaluation of the Benazir Nashonuma Programme shows that some children are finally getting a better start. The Aga Khan University study found a 22pc reduction in child stunting among beneficiary children at six months and an 18pc decline at one year. Equally encouraging were the reductions in low birth weight,
Child Rights in Focus
ON July 29, 2025, Maria Shahbaz, a 13-year-old Christian girl, was abducted in Lahore by her 30-year-old neighbour. She was subsequently forced to convert to Islam and marry her captor. A police investigation confirmed that the marriage certificate produced by the abductor was fabricated and not registered with any union council. The girl’s father presented the Nadra-issued B-Form and school records to the honourable court, as evidence of her age. However, on Feb 3,
TOBA TEK SINGH: A minor girl died after falling into an open manhole in Tandlianwala, Faisalabad, on May 10. Reports said Hania (4), daughter of Muhammad Wasim of Tayyaba Town locality, went to the street but did not return even after two hours. During a search, locals found her dead in an open manhole. Published in Dawn, May 11th, 2026.
Rawalpindi: Water and food-borne diseases including diarrhoea and gastrointestinal infections may hit the population hard in this region of the country in next two to three weeks as the existing hot weather conditions are conducive and much favourable for growth of microorganisms. The situation regarding spread of summer-related health threats is well under control at the moment, at least, in this region of the country and almost all public sector hospitals in town including
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Private Schools Regularity Authority has decided to extend semester system to private schools to bring them at par with government educational institutions in terms of academic calendar. The elementary and secondary education department replaced the British-era annual examination system last year in government schools for students up to 8th grade with the two-semester system. The new system was introduced to lessen burden on students and teachers and save time of students.
TOBA TEK SINGH: Police claimed to have found the remains of a child, who was kidnapped on April 29, from the graveyard of his village, Chak 279 JB Bajwara in Gojra tehsil on May 10. Police said deceased Arham Zahid (12) disappeared from his home and a kidnapping case was registered against unidentified persons on April 29 by the Nawan Lahore Police. His father Zahid had claimed in his complaint that his son went
LAKKI MARWAT: Elders of Mela Mandrakhel have expressed their deep concern over the lack of higher secondary level education facilities and urged the provincial government to set up a higher secondary school for girls in the area. Talking to journalists here on Saturday, they said that the rural locality lacked proper educational facilities for girls, forcing them to travel to Lakki city on a daily basis to get higher secondary education. They said that
DERA GHAZI KHAN: Police have failed to arrest the owner of the private school whose roof caved in, resulting in the death of four schoolchildren and injuries to 20 others, including 16 children. Regional Police Officer (RPO) Muhammad Azhar Akram had issued orders to the district police officer to ensure the immediate arrest of Little Scholars School owner Sheikh Akram. Police claim that special police teams were formed to arrest the principal and raids
KARACHI: Describing misinformation and rumours as the biggest challenge in the fight for polio eradication, experts on Friday said that Karachi remained a high-risk zone due to persistent virus circulation and population movement. They were speaking at a media briefing on the upcoming Polio Booster Dose Campaign organised at the Karachi Press Club. The attendees included members of the Sindh Polio Eradication Programme, the Sindh Emergency Operations Centre core team and health experts. The
DERA GHAZI KHAN: The parents of the deceased minor students have demanded that the case be registered based on their own complaint, not on the one filed by a government official of the municipal corporation. They believe that registering the case on the complaint of a municipal official is an attempt to protect the responsible officers from accountability. They staged a sit-in to press for their demands. Among the victims was Hania, a child
BAHAWALPUR: Fateh Shah police in Vehari district arrested a man on charge of raping his three minor daughters at Chak 41/KB, Burewala, on May 8. District Police PRO Adnan Tariq told Dawn by cell phone that the suspect was arrested after registration of an FIR on the complaint of his wife on May 5. She alleged that her husband had been raping their three daughters who were 14, 11 and 9 years old for
PESHAWAR/BAJAUR: Eleven civilians, including five children, were martyred and 16 people injured in terrorism-related incidents in Hangu, South Waziristan and Bajaur districts. Officials told Dawn that six civilians were martyred and 14, including two policemen, suffered injuries when terrorists fired mortar shells during a security operation in Hangu. They said that two police personnel were also injured during the crossfire. Officials said that the law-enforcement agencies launched an operation after terrorists took over a