ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s fight against polio suffered another setback when one more child was paralysed by the virus in Dera Ismail Khan (DI Khan) district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The latest case brings the total number of Wild Poliovirus Type-1 (WPV1) cases to 48 in the country this year. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH) in Islamabad confirmed this latest case on Saturday, reporting infection in a boy
Child Rights in Focus
The Sindh government is likely to adopt a law soon making the entry of Computerised National Identity Card numbers of the would-be married couples in their Nikahnama compulsory to prevent underage marriages in the province. Sindh Women Development Minister Shaheena Sher Ali disclosed this while speaking as the chief guest at a seminar organised by the non-governmental organisation, Civil Society Support Programme at a hotel on the 8th of November. The provincial minister informed
PESHAWAR: The first women and children protection unit in the province was established by Nowshera police to support and encourage women and children to report crimes against them. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inspector General of Police Akhtar Hayat Khan, who was the chief guest at the opening event, stated that this specialised unit would be essential in safeguarding the weaker members of society. He added that it would serve as a model for other districts in
TOBA TEK SINGH: A youth allegedly raped two minor sisters at gunpoint at Chak 357-JB, Gojra, on 8th November. As per police, a labourer “S” would go for work, leaving his three minor daughters at his house in the village as his wife had died. In his absence, the suspect, a vagabond, allegedly raped Shahbaz’s eldest 14-year-old daughter “Z” at gunpoint for two months, threatening to kill her and her sisters, if she complained
RAHIM YAR KHAN: The buildings of 22 government schools in four tehsils of Rahim Yar Khan district, which were declared dangerous by the district education authority (DEA) in March 2024, are still waiting for action by the administration and departments concerned while the students are forced to attend classes in the open in inclement weather conditions. According to a letter, dated 06-03-2024, the DEA chief executive officer (CEO) had informed the executive engineer (EXEN)
LAHORE: Students of different schools on 8th November set a new world record by forming a massive ‘human national flag’ here. According to a press release, over 10,000 students, including those of the Army Public School Lahore, gathered in a ground and set a new world record by participating in the formation of the world’s largest national flag. The previous world record was held by India, where 7,368 students had formed Indian flag and
ISLAMABAD: Poliovirus has crippled one more child in Pakistan, this time in the Ghotki district of Sindh, where a 3-year-old boy who had not received a single dose of Routine Immunization (RI) has been paralyzed for life. This marks Pakistan’s 47th case of wild poliovirus type-1 (WPV1) in 2024 and the first from Ghotki, with previous cases concentrated in regions like Balochistan and Sindh. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National
Islamabad: Pakistan has made a landmark pledge to strengthen child protection systems and enhance its legal framework to safeguard children from all forms of violence. The pledge was made by Ministry of Human Rights at the inaugural Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence against Children in Bogota, Colombia on 07-November-2024. The conference, attended by representatives from more than 100 countries, brought together governments committed to addressing the pressing issue of violence against children. Pakistan’s commitments
PESHAWAR: Police arrested a transgender person on the charges of kidnapping a girl. It was learnt that officials of Chamkani Police Station arrested a transgender, Iftikhar for allegedly kidnapping a girl to marry her. The transgender is said to be an employee at a hospital and was operating social media accounts as a boy. “He befriended the girl on social media and convinced her to leave her house for him last month,” said an
LAHORE: An important meeting regarding the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme was held in the Department of Specialised Healthcare and Medical Education under the chairmanship of Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique. Parliamentary Secretary Rushda Lodhi participated in the meeting. Punjab Health Secretary Azmat Mehmood Khan, Special Secretary Development Syed Wajid Ali Shah, Special Secretary Operations Tariq Mehmood, Additional Secretary Dr Waheed, Vice Chancellor University of Child Health Sciences Prof Masood Sadiq, CEO
Punjab goes virtual again as schools shut down As Punjab province wrestles with deadly smog and an alarming AQI, the provincial on November 6 announced the closure of all educational institutions from November 7 to 17, sending students back to online learning reminiscent of the pandemic-times shift. The drastic measure came in response to an alarming spike in the AQI which has soared past 1,000, prompting an environmental emergency. The decision, made in consultation
ISLAMABAD: The education ministry has started work to set up the Islamabad Education Authority (IEA) to merge several educational departments in a bid to “promote” quality education in the federal capital. According to sources, a draft to establish the authority has been prepared and after consultations, a bill to this effect will be tabled in parliament for approval. Education Joint Secretary Syed Junaid Akhlaq told Dawn that the education authority was under consideration. An officer said