LOWER DIR: Dir Qaumi Pasoon (DQP), a body of elders working for peace and harmony, on October 12 rejected the government’s decision to privatise public educational institutions and hospitals, terming it against the public interest and demanding its immediate withdrawal. The demand was made during a seminar titled“Education and Health Protection”organised by DQP at a local hotel. The event was attended by teachers, doctors, students, civil society members and representatives of political and social
Child Rights in Focus
RAWALPINDI: Police have chalked out a security plan for the polio vaccination teams during the immunization campaign from Oct 13 to 19 in the federal capital territory. According to sources, a special security order has been issued for the national polio vaccination campaign starting from October 13. The security plan was chalked out to protect life of polio teams, and security against terrorist acts. In line with the security arrangements, a total of 285
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly has underscored the collective responsibility of lawmakers to ensure a safe and nurturing environment for every child in Pakistan. The call was made during a session of the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights (PCCR) at the Parliament House on October 12. The meeting, chaired by PCCR Convener and Parliamentary Secretary for Science and Technology Dr Nikhat Shakeel Khan, deliberated on the alarming rise in child abuse cases across Pakistan. It
The All Pakistan Private Schools Association has announced that all educational institutions in the Rawalpindi district will reopen on October 13 as per routine, following several days of disruption due to Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan protests in the twin cities. In a joint declaration, the three major private school organisations confirmed the decision to resume classes across private institutions. President of the All Pakistan Private Schools Management Association (APPSMA) Punjab chapter, Abidar Ahmad Khan, also confirmed
TAXILA: The body of a newborn was recovered from a garbage dump near Christian hospital in the jurisdiction of Taxila police station on October 12. According to police, some scavengers informed the local shopkeepers about the presence of the body of a wrapped newborn in the dumpster near a street adjacent to the hospital. On getting information, a police party reached there and shifted the body to tehsil headquarters hospital for autopsy. “The body
LAHORE: Dr Omar Masud, the CEO of Urban Unit, says that the air quality data of monitoring sensors can make a real impact if its integrated in policymaking. He was speaking at the session “Developing a National Air Quality Management Framework for Pakistan” during The Air We Breathe conference, organized by Dawn Media on October 11. He said Urban Unit was collecting air quality data from its sensors from across Pakistan. To a question,
SAHIWAL: Seven girls went ‘missing’ in separate incidents during the last two days. At Village 85/6-R, the family of 16-year-old Shamila accused local prayer leader Maulana Arshad of abducting her after both were found missing from the seminary. In the second incident at Mohalla Rajpura, Muqbool Hussain’s 16-year-old daughter was allegedly kidnapped by Hyder and two accomplices using a car while she was returning home from tuition. At Village 57/5-L, 13-year-old Ayesha was reportedly
TAXILA: The district health authorities have decided to launch a 13-day anti-measles drive in Attock from November 17 to 29, aiming to vaccinate more than 300,000 children aged between 6 and 59 months to save them from the epidemic. The preparations to eliminate measles from the district are in the final stages, said Deputy Commissioner Rao Atif Raza while chairing the meeting to review the arrangements for the upcoming drive on October 11. The
When little Sana, a shy 12-year-old from Karachi, walked into her school’s assembly hall last week, she thought it was just another health drive. But when she returned home later that day, proudly showing her vaccination card to her mother, she had unknowingly taken a step that could one day save her life. Sana was among the first girls in Pakistan to receive the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, protection against cervical cancer, one of
The National Emergency Operations Centre has announced that 45.4 million children will receive polio drops during the upcoming weekly polio campaign. In addition to the polio vaccine, children will also be administered a supplementary dose of Vitamin A. The national polio campaign is scheduled to run across the country from October 13 to 19. More than 400,000 health workers will go door-to-door to ensure children are vaccinated against polio, according to the National Emergency
LAHORE: This was disclosed in a meeting on special education presided over by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. She announced that underprivileged children would receive free therapy and education in the Maryam Nawaz Autism School. The chief minister approved in principle the inclusion of special children in the ‘Himmat’ Card programme. According to a statement, the Punjab government has decided to engage world-class autism experts to enhance the quality of education and therapy services. Approval
KHANEWAL: A matric student was shot dead by his classmate at high school. According to police sources, the accused, identified as Zain, allegedly opened fire on his class fellow Rizwan, belonging to the Lodhran community and resident of Sarai Sidhu. The incident occurred around 11 a.m. when Zain reportedly fired at Rizwan with a 30-bore pistol, leaving him critically injured. Upon receiving the report, SDPO Kabirwala and local police teams reached the scene. The