QUETTA: A madrassa cleric in Kuchlak, a suburban area of Quetta, was arrested on 30 June 2025 for sexually assaulting a young boy aged between four and five years, police confirmed. According to law enforcement officials, they received a complaint that a cleric at a local religious seminary had assaulted a child student. The victim was immediately shifted to Mufti Mehmood Memorial Hospital in Kuchlak for medical examination. Dr Abdul Wakeel Sherani, Medical Superintendent
Child Rights in Focus
KARACHI: Four in every 10 families in Pakistan are now living in poverty, surviving on less than $3.65 a day, while nearly 1,000 children under five die daily as polio cases have surged alarmingly, according to the UNICEF Pakistan Annual Report 2024 released this week. The report paints a disturbing picture of rising deprivation and risk for the country’s youngest generation. Since the Covid-19 pandemic and the 2022 floods, Pakistan’s poverty rate has increased
SHANGLA: Police arrested a seminary teacher for allegedly molesting an 11-year-old boy studying at the madressah in Bisham city of Shangla district on 29th June evening. The victim told Bisham police that he had been learning the Holy Quran from Qari Abdur Rahim for the last three months. He said that after class on Sunday evening, the Qari called him into his room and locked the door behind him. “He took off my trousers
PESHAWAR: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on 30th June released its annual report on the human rights situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, reporting a “significant” increase in violence against women and children, sectarian strife and tribal feuds. The report, which was released by provincial chief of the HRCP Akbar Khan during a news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, noted that the law and order situation in the province remained “weak” last year. It
LAHORE. A 12 year old boy was allegedly kidnapped by a motorcyclist in Shahdara after offering him a ride. According to police sources, a 12-year-old Muhammad left his home to buy groceries when an unknown motorcyclist approached him and offered a ride. The suspect took the boy with him and disappeared from the area. CCTV footage has emerged, showing the man taking the child away on his motorcycle. The surveillance footage is being analyzed
Factory Area police conducted raids and arrested the suspect. A case was registered and an investigation was under way DIJKOT: A 17-year-old girl ended her life by hanging herself after her family refused her wish for a love marriage. The incident took place in Chak No. 243RB, within the jurisdiction of Roshanwala Police Station. According to initial reports, the girl wanted to marry someone of her choice, but her family disagreed. Heartbroken over the
The British Council and the School Education and Literacy Department (SELD) of the Sindh government signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) on 27-June-2025 to initiate a new phase of collaboration aimed at transforming English language instruction in public schools across the province. This strategic partnership, to be formalised through an Operational Alliance Agreement, would support the professional development of 30,000 newly inducted Primary School Teachers (PSTs) and Early Childhood Teachers (ECTs) under the British
PESHAWAR: The emergency operation centre for polio in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is struggling to cope with the chronic challenges it faces in eradication of poliomyelitis, a vaccine-preventable childhood ailment. The province has recorded seven polio cases, the highest number registered by any province in the country this year so far, owing to almost the same reasons that have been hampering EOC’s efforts to wipe out the disease and safeguard children against lifelong disabilities. Of these
THE Supreme Court recently issued a verdict advocating equal rights in marriage. The verdict originated from an appeal filed by a divorced couple opposing the dower provisions in the nikahnama. The female petitioner had challenged an earlier Lahore High Court judgement, which maintained that entries in the nikahnama be interpreted in the groom’s favour as he bears the weight of the obligations in the contract. The apex court ordered the government to ensure that
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Federal Education is planning to start work on the establishment of an autism resource centre at H-8/4 as its PC-I worth Rs1.34 billion has been approved. Once launched, the project will be completed in two years. It will be a rehabilitation centre for children with developmental disorders. Under the new project, besides the construction of new buildings, the existing rehabilitation centre will be overhauled. Moreover, eight new buses will be
ISLAMABAD: Students of Islamabad-based government colleges and schools will have eight padel courts and five futsal fields in their institutions. Padel Tennis, which is a combination of tennis and squash, is gaining rapid popularity in Pakistan. The Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) has been developing various sports facilities in Islamabad’s educational institutions. Out of eight padel courts, work on three is in progress and according to IPC ministry will be completed by the end
Assignment of dual charge of BSEK and BIEK to one officer triggers administrative chaos KARACHI: The Sindh government’s decision to assign dual charge of two major educational boards in the metropolitan city to one officer has resulted in administrative chaos, leaving the academic future of hundreds of students hanging in the balance. The chairman of Board of Secondary Education Karachi (BSEK) and Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK), Ghulam Hussain Sohoo, has been unable