LOWER DIR: Dozens of students seeking migration to the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education Malakand are facing uncertainty after the board allegedly declined to process migration cases from other educational boards in the province, putting their academic future at risk. Speaking to local journalists at Timergara on Feb 17, the affected students said migration certificates were not being issued to those seeking transfers from various boards across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. With the deadline for
Child Rights in Focus
KARACHI: The School Education and Literacy Department of the Government of Sindh has shown its grave concern over the sale of vapes and other prohibited narcotics at shops situated near school premises. Upon recent visits by inspection and monitoring committee teams to several privately managed schools, it was observed that certain shops, tea houses or cafes operating in the vicinity of school premises were selling vapes and vape products along with other prohibited narcotics
KARACHI: The Benazir Nashonuma Programme (BNP) — a key initiative for stunting prevention that targets pregnant and lactating women and infants — has demonstrated a 6.4 percentage-point reduction in stunting among children aged 6-23 months, along with significant improvements in maternal dietary diversity and a reduction in low birth weight. This was revealed in a meeting between Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and World Food Programme (WFP) Pakistan Country Director Coco Ushiyama
LAHORE: A 14-year-old domestic worker was allegedly sexually assaulted and blackmailed in Lahore after the suspect recorded and shared explicit videos of her, Gulberg Police said on Wednesday. The victim, who worked with her parents at a residence in a private housing society, had befriended the suspect through a female friend. Police said the man lured her out on the pretext of meeting and later took her to a private hotel under the guise
The Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) on Feb 18 announced revised operating hours for all government-run educational institutions in the capital for the upcoming holy month of Ramazan. The Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee announced today that the crescent moon for Ramazan 1447 AH was sighted and the first fast of the holy month would be observed on Thursday. Accordingly, a decision notification issued by the FDE Academics Wing on school timings, affects Islamabad Model Schools and Colleges, as well
RAWALPINDI: The Rawalpindi Bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Feb 17 set aside the convictions of a father who had been sentenced to death twice, along with 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs30 million, in a case involving the brutal killing of his two minor daughters and the serious injury of his wife following a domestic dispute. The bench comprising Justice Sadaqat Ali Khan and Justice Tariq Mahmood Bajwa declared
ISLAMABAD: Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal has directed ancillary departments to further strengthen HIV prevention, timely diagnosis, availability of treatment and public awareness campaigns across the country. Chairing a meeting on HIV/AIDS situation in Pakistan, he directed that at least one HIV screening and treatment centre be established in every district to ensure citizens have access to quality treatment facilities within their own localities. The meeting was attended by senior officials of the Common
ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Feb 16 expressed grave concern over the failure of government functionaries to take appropriate, effective measures for the protection of children against different social evils. “Policies were confined to papers only as their implementation seemed to be invisible at grossroots level,” parliamentarians noted at ameeting of the NA Standing Committee on Human Rights held in the Parliament House. Ms Syeda Nousheen Iftikhar, MNA presided over the meeting. Members of
TOBA TEK SINGH: Police have arrested a teenage brother and sister for allegedly killing their father and burying his body in the courtyard in Mari Shah Sukhera in the Athara Hazari tehsil of Jhang. As per details, the Kot Shakir Police registered a case on Feb 6 on the complaint of deceased’s son F, who claimed that his father went across the Jhelum River on Feb 5 but did not return. The complainant had
KARACHI: Around 10,000 children are diagnosed with cancer in Pakistan every year, but due to delayed diagnosis, limited treatment facilities and financial constraints, fewer than 30 per cent survive, health experts said at an awareness session jointly organised by the Indus Hospital & Health Network on Feb 15. Speaking at the “Health Wise” session on childhood cancer, experts said that globally nearly 400,000 children and adolescents develop cancer annually, with about 80% of cases
FAISALABAD: Despite hundreds of reported cases of sexual abuse against minors in Faisalabad during 2025, not a single accused in cases registered during the year has been convicted so far, according to official statistics, raising serious concerns about delays in prosecution and delivery of justice. Data revealed that 663 cases of sexual abuse against minors were registered across 45 police stations in Faisalabad district during 2025. A total of 989 suspects were found involved
ISLAMABAD: As part of its comprehensive reform agenda, the Islamabad Capital Territory Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (ICT-PEIRA) has embarked on a major upgrade of its IT infrastructure to enhance efficiency, reliability, transparency and service delivery for private educational institutions operating in the federal capital. In a significant step towards digital governance and improved ease of doing business in the private education sector, ICT-PEIRA has successfully introduced a fully paperless system for registration and