A two-and-a-half-year-old girl, Haya Fatima, was killed by a stray bullet while playing on the roof of a residential building in Lyari’s Moosa Lane area. According to the Baghdadi police, the incident took place at Ali Arcade, a seven-storey building. The victim, who lived on the seventh floor, was playing with other children on the roof when she was hit by a stray bullet. Her uncle, Farhan Memon, rushed her to a nearby hospital,
Child Rights in Focus
ISLAMABAD: Due to high-quality polio vaccination drives conducted across the country in the past few months, the tide is turning in Pakistan’s battle against polio as environmental samples from 34 cities have tested negative for the Wild Poliovirus 1 (WPV1), indicating that the virus is no longer circulating in these areas. This significant milestone includes negative samples from the federal capital Islamabad, along with several cities across the provinces. In Punjab, the cities free
PESHAWAR: Peshawar High Court has acquitted four persons and set aside the sentence of life imprisonment awarded to them by a child protection court for allegedly abducting a teenage girl and forcing her to marriage with one of them in Swat district. A bench consisting of Justice Mohammad Naeem Anwar and Justice Wiqar Ahmad accepted two appeals filed by the convicts including three brothers named Sher Ali Khan, Raza Khan and Samiullah and their
RAHIM YAR KHAN: Police arrested a suspect involved in the case of and murder of a minor girl on 9th February. According to the first information report (FIR) registered with Iqbalabad Police Station, the complainant, a resident of Bahudipur Machian, told police that his 12-year-old sister resided with him. On Saturday night when the whole family was asleep, he suddenly woke up and found his sister absent from her bed. He along with two
Islamabad: After installing IT labs in 50 government schools across the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has planned to extend the initiative to 30 more educational institutions in the region within two months. An official highlighted the significant strides the ministry is making in equipping students with essential technology skills and said the installation of IT labs had provided students with access to modern digital tools and
KARACHI: In grade 4, Zunaira Qayyum Baloch, had startled senior professor Dr Hamid Ali Baloch, and assistant professor Zahir Mengal of University of Balochistan. They were speakers at an interactive reading club session, The Importance of Reading, in the School of Intensive Teaching (SIT) in Hub Chowki. “Is there anyone here who reads?” Mengal asked the students. Several students, including Zunaira who joined SIT in grade three, raised their hands. “I have read George
Quetta. The high-profile abduction of a 17-year-old girl in Khuzdar named Asma Jattak, echoed in the Balochistan Assembly on February 7 as lawmakers strongly condemned the incident, urging authorities to take swift action for her recovery. They expressed their serious concern over the issue, emphasizing the need for immediate intervention by the authorities. Prince Omar Ahmedzai, a treasury bench member, announced that a tribal Jirga would be convened to discuss the matter and determine
The doctors examined the body and confirmed that Ali Raza had been tortured and strangulated to death. Jaranwala. A 15-year-old employee working at a spare parts shop in Medina Town was allegedly strangulated to death by the shop owner and two accomplices. Muhammad Buta, a resident of 408-GB, reported to the police that his 15-year-old son had been working at the spare parts shop for five years. On February 3 at 11am, Arif Hussain
In this insightful talk, Dr. Zafar Mirza, a leading expert in public health, explores the strategies and challenges of addressing public health crises in Pakistan. Drawing from his experience as a former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr. Mirza discusses the country’s key healthcare issues, including disease outbreaks, healthcare access, and policy reforms. He provides a roadmap for tackling future health crises through effective government response, public awareness, and healthcare infrastructure
KHYBER: The Khyber district administration has released one month’s salary of five teachers of as many community schools in Upper Bara area. Sources in Upper Bara said that the district education department had earlier refused to ‘own’ these five community schools and pay salary to its teachers despite repeated appeals from the local community. They said that these schools were established by NGO Dosti Welfare Organisation about a year ago as there was no
KHUZDAR: Police safely recovered Asma Jattak, who was abducted two days ago from Khuzdar, during a raid in Zehri town on 8th February and arrested 14 suspects. However, the main accused, Zahoor Zehri, remains at large. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Kalat Range, Sohail Khalid, confirmed the recovery at a press conference, alongside Deputy Commissioner Khuzdar Yasir Iqbal Dashti and SSP Javed Zehri. Asma Jattak was also produced before the media on the occasion.
The current legal framework in Pakistan, particularly the Guardian and Wards Act 1890, struggles to establish clear guidelines for visitation rights, resulting in inconsistent court rulings that can negatively impact children’s well-being. This situation leads to an unfair distribution of visitation time between parents, a lack of defined welfare standards for minors, and insufficient monitoring of custodial arrangements, which may cause emotional and psychological challenges for children. There is a pressing need for legislative