Child Rights in Focus

Karachi Reports First Rabies Case of 2026

January 27, 2026
KARACHI: The first case of rabies was reported in Karachi in 2026 as an eight-year-old girl from Sanghar district was diagnosed with the deadly disease on Monday. The child developed severe rabies symptoms nearly six weeks after she was bitten by a stray dog. She was subsequently shifted to Indus Hospital in Korangi where doctors confirmed the disease. At the hospital, Rabies Prevention Clinic Manager Aftab Gohar said the child had received inadequate treatment at multiple

Sindh Extends Winter School Timings till Feb 4

January 26, 2026
KARACHI: In view of the prevailing cold weather, the Sindh School Education Department has extended the decision to start schools at 9am until February 4. According to notification issued by Secretary School Education Sindh Zahid Ali Abbasi, stated that all public and private schools across the province would continue to open at 9am until February 4. Earlier, under a notification issued on January 10, the revised school timings were applicable until January 26; however, the decision

NCCIA Arrests Child Exploitation Suspect

January 26, 2026
RAWALPINDI: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) carried out two major operations in the twin cities, arresting a suspect accused of exploiting children and dismantling a gang behind Rs20 million in online fraud, officials said on Sunday. In the first case, the NCCIA conducted a raid at a residence in Islamabad’s PWD area and arrested a suspect identified as Shoaib for allegedly circulating obscene videos of a minor. Two mobile phones were recovered

Abandoned Newborns

January 26, 2026
Earlier this month, a newborn baby was found abandoned in a garbage bin in Lahore’s Allama Iqbal Town. Police have been informed, and legal proceedings are expected, though the baby’s condition remains undisclosed. For a society that claims reverence for life, the image of a newborn discarded among refuse should have triggered outrage. Instead, it has been met largely with weary resignation. What makes this incident especially disturbing is that it is no longer

Missing 14-Year-Old Girl Found Murdered in Rawalpindi Park

January 25, 2026
RAWALPINDI: A 14-year-old girl who went missing from Rawalpindi’s Dhok Hassu area earlier this week was found murdered on Saturday, police said. The sack-packed body of the girl, identified as Misbah, was recovered from Ladies Park on Carriage Factory Road, within the jurisdiction of Ratta Amral police station. According to a police spokesperson, senior officers, including the SSP Operations, SSP Investigation and SP Rawal, reached the spot along with a police contingent. The body

Student Identifies Accused in Alleged Sexual Abuse of Over 100 Children

January 25, 2026
KARACHI: A matriculation student has identified the main accused in a case involving the alleged sexual abuse of more than 100 children during an identification parade held before a judicial magistrate in Karachi, police said. The identification parade was conducted on Saturday in the court of the Judicial Magistrate South, where the accused, identified as Imran, was produced by police. The student identified him despite the suspect standing among 10 dummies. Following the identification,

Peira Issues Notices to Over 1,000 Private Schools

January 25, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (Peira) has issued notices to over 1,000 private schools for not submitting compliance reports. Sources said these schools had been granted registration with the direction to ensure availability of missing facilities, including infrastructure shortfall, lack of classrooms, deficiencies in libraries, laboratories and teachers. The schools were required to submit compliance reports after bridging the gaps, which were pointed out during approval of the registration process. “We are

CM Promises Children Bright Future

January 25, 2026
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi on January 23 said the province had witnessed terrorism and violence over the past 25 years, and now the time had come to lead children towards knowledge and a bright future. He stated this while speaking at an event, where he launched Character Education Curriculum for the holistic character development of children, according to a statement issued from the chief minister’s secretariat. Mr Afridi said while

Newborn’s Body Found in Trash Bin

January 25, 2026
LAHORE: The body of a newborn baby was found dumped in a trash bin in the Chung area on January 23. A spokesperson for Edhi Foundation said a passerby spotted the infant’s body in a garbage container and informed the police. Upon receiving the alert, police reached the scene, took the body into custody and shifted it to a morgue for post-mortem examination and legal formalities. Police officials said preliminary investigations suggest that an

Sanghar Police Arrest Minor Girl Rape Accused

January 25, 2026
HYDERABAD: Sanghar police on the night of January 22 arrested a man accused of raping and torturing a 15-year-old girl from Hyderabad. On January 23, police produced the suspect, Wazir son of Waris Rajar, before a civil judge and judicial magistrate, who granted his three-day physical remand to Chautiarion police station, within whose jurisdiction the incident occurred. A medical report issued by Civil Hospital Sanghar confirmed that the victim, Shadbano Mallah — also the complainant

HIV Negligence

January 25, 2026
Medical negligence in Pakistan is often discussed in the abstract — as a system failure, a resource constraint or an unfortunate by-product of poverty. But when nearly 4,000 children in Sindh are living with HIV, many of them infected not at birth or through personal behaviour but in healthcare facilities meant to heal them, negligence ceases to be an abstract concept. It becomes a crime in plain sight. The Pakistan Medical Association’s “high-level alert” on

Mother, Aunt record statements in Sana Yousuf murder case

January 24, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Additional District and Sessions Judge Mohammad Afzal Majoka on Jnuary 22 recorded the statements of mother and maternal aunt of renowned TikToker Sana Yousuf in her murder case. The court summoned the officials of the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) over threats received by the defense counsel, and adjourned the hearing until January 27. During the hearing, accused Umar Hayat was produced before the court. At the initial stage, no counsel appeared on
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