INCARCERATED mothers constitute a rapidly increasing segment of the prison population in Punjab. According to data released by Punjab Prisons, as of last month, the total number of female prisoners stood at 1,218. Of these, 137 are mothers with children and 104 are under trial. The total number of children living in prisons with jailed mothers is 159, including 68 boys and 91 girls. In 2022, the total number of mothers in Punjab’s prisons
Child Rights in Focus
Leader says education system is being destroyed under systematic conspiracy ISLAMABAD: The All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association (APPS&CA) has firmly rejected the decision to close educational institutions due to smog. All Pakistan Private Schools and Colleges Association’s Central President, Dr Malik Abrar Hussain said closing schools due to smog is unwise and damaging measure. “The education system is being destroyed in the country under a systematic conspiracy,” he added. In a statement
KARACHI: The Sindh Home Department has instructed the Inspector General of Police and the Prosecutor General for the swift disposal of the Fatima Furiro murder case in Ranipur, district Khairpur, Sindh. The case has attracted national and international attention, with implications for Pakistan’s global human rights rankings. Fatima Furiro, a nine-year-old maid, was found murdered in August 2023 at the haveli (residence) of Pir Asad Shah, a powerful and influential figure. The proceedings are
LAHORE: The first dengue-related death was reported in Punjab this year on 13th November when a teenage girl succumbed to dengue complications in the Mayo Hospital. As per hospital sources, Manahil, a resident of Sahiwal, was shifted to the hospital with a history of high fever and the doctors isolated her for treatment. She developed complications as the dengue progressed to an advanced stage during treatment. She died at the hospital on Wednesday. Mayo
MUZAFFARGARH: A madrassa teacher was arrested on 13th November for allegedly torturing an 11-year-old student in the Uttara Sandeela area after the boy refused to ask for donations. The suspect, identified as Abdul Hafeez, reportedly chained and beat Muhammad Amin after the child declined to collect donations, commonly known as ‘chanda’ from local residents. The incident came to light when the victim’s father, Muhammad Akhtar, reported it to the Karam Dad Qureshi police station.
ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary panel on 13th November called for providing facilities to schools in rural areas and ensure an effective monitoring system within the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE). The FDE is a supervisory body which oversees affairs of 431 schools and colleges of Islamabad. The directorate has been without a director general ever since the post got vacant in July last year. Since then, the education ministry has been looking after the affairs
KARACHI: The Sindh government has approved the draft of the country’s first-ever ‘Transgender Education Policy’ that proposes adding a separate category for transgender children in admission forms for schools and colleges, alongside male and female options. The policy draft was approved in a meeting chaired by Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah, said a press release issued here on Wednesday. It said that the draft, which will soon be presented before the provincial
SWAT: A large number of girls students on 12th November took to the streets to protest the government’s decision to allocate land of their college for the construction of a boys’ college in Khwazakhela tehsil here. The students chanted slogans against the government’s decision and called for its reversal. The protesting students said that their college building had remained under the use of security forces for 15 years, and when the college was made
LAHORE: The Punjab government on 12th November extended the closure of educational institutions up to the higher secondary level across the province to tackle the hazardous smog situation prevalent for the past few weeks. The provincial capital recorded the highest air quality index (AQI) in the world, surpassing major global cities such as New Delhi and Kinshasa. At its peak on Tuesday, Lahore’s AQI reached an alarming 1,153, while Multan also reported a dangerously
Currently, 20 districts in Sindh are affected by poliovirus, with 13 confirmed polio cases in the province. However, the Sindh government remains fully committed to eradicating the virus, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah pledged on 12-November-2024. Recent data shows that 66 percent of environmental sampling sites in Sindh are positive for Wild Poliovirus 1, he said during a follow-up meeting with Unicef Representative Abdullah Fadil and UN Resident Coordinator Mohammad Yahya. Education
KARACHI: Children from across Pakistan came together to speak up for their rights at a World Children’s Day commemoration held at the Arts Council of Pakistan, Karachi, asking decision makers to translate their commitments on child rights and climate change into reality. Talented child musicians, performers and child rights champions shared their demands, hopes and dreams for the future through songs, words, and theatre. “Climate change threatens our world, and we are worried about
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on 11th November restrained the provincial authorities from finalising the tendering process for a multibillion-rupee project of reconstructing schools affected by floods in the province. A single-judge bench headed by Justice Mahmood A. Khan also issued notices to the secretaries of the education & literacy and health departments, managing director of the Sindh Public Procurement & Regulatory Authority, director general of the school education and other respondents as