LAHORE: Police claimed to have solved the mystery surrounding the discovery of a newborn’s body from a garbage drum in Gulshan-e-Ravi, arresting the prime suspect involved in the crime. A police spokesperson said SSP Investigation Muhammad Naveed had taken notice of the incident after the infant’s body was recovered earlier this week. He tasked SP Investigation Iqbal Town, Sidra Khan, with constituting a special team to trace and arrest those responsible. Police arrested the
Child Rights in Focus
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has set aside the conviction of a man accused of incest, observing that such grave allegations require a higher standard of proof supported by credible prosecution witnesses. “A rare allegation of one of the most serious offences committed in the presence of other children and old father of the convict in the house had been levelled,” observed a 10-page judgement authored by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi. “According to the victim
KARACHI: A study conducted by the Aga Khan University (AKU) has found that one in four children, aged three to eight, attending public schools in Karachi are at high risk of developmental delays. The developmental delays mean a child has not achieved expected age-related skills in one or more areas, such as movement, speech, thinking, or social skills. The study also finds that children from low-income families and ethnic minority backgrounds are especially vulnerable
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Elementary and Secondary Education Department has decided to replace the current British-era annual examination system in the schools up to grade 8 with the two-semester system. Education secretary Mohammad Khalid told Dawn that the new examination system would lessen academic burden on students and teachers and end student learning losses due to months-long vacation. He said that Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur had already given the formal consent to the idea of
ISLAMABAD: As the special polio campaign is set to begin on Sept 1, Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal has directed the polio programme to ensure that no child is missed during the vaccination drive. He was speaking at a briefing held at the National Emergency Operation Centre. The minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to completely eradicate polio. He emphasised the importance of implementing effective strategies in high-risk areas to achieve comprehensive immunisation
LAHORE: A man committed familicide on Wednesday by stabbing to death his wife, teenage daughter, nephew, and father-in-law over a domestic dispute in the Heyr police limits. According to police, the suspect, Imran, who was recently released from prison, attacked his wife Fouzia, 14-year-old daughter Zainab, 15-year-old nephew Raza, and his father-in-law. His younger daughter sustained critical injuries and was shifted to hospital, while his younger son narrowly escaped the attack. Police said the
Islamabad: The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training convened a strategic event on ‘Advancing National Commitments ahead of the Global School Meals Summit’ in partnership with the Ministry of Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, the Ministry of Poverty Alleviation & Social Safety/Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), the Office of the Senate Standing Committee on Poverty Alleviation & Social Safety, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) Pakistan, and key development partners. The event
A two-and-a-half-year-old boy was killed in a dumper accident in Malir’s Millat Town on August 27. According to police, the incident occurred when a speeding dumper rammed into a motorcycle. The heavy vehicle ran over the motorcycle, crushing the child under its wheels. The deceased was identified as Aun. The boy’s uncle, Salman, who was riding the motorcycle at the time, sustained minor injuries, while the motorcycle was badly damaged. Both the injured and
Former Chairperson of the Federal Flood Commission (FFC) Ahmed Kamal, while stressing the importance of improved monitoring, has called for province-specific forecasting systems and a nationwide telemetry network to provide real-time data and early warnings tailored to diverse regional contexts. He was addressing participants of a dialogue on “Climate risk to resilience: strengthening governance for disaster preparedness” hosted here by Institute of Regional Studies (IRS). Kamal noted that the country faced 29 major floods
ISLAMABAD: At least 80 important medicines are not available in Pakistan, including 25 which have no substitutes, creating serious problems for patients suffering from diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, psychiatric illness, heart disease and for children needing vaccines. Doctors and pharmacists say the shortage of most-prescribed brands is now a health emergency as many patients cannot continue their treatment. Among the medicines with no alternatives is a long-acting injectable insulin for diabetics is missing from
In a landmark step to save newborn lives, the Pakistan Paediatric Association (PPA) has launched the country’s first neonatal resuscitation guidelines tailored for healthcare providers working in tertiary as well as resource-constrained settings. The guidelines were unveiled at the seventh Aga Khan University Paediatrics & Child Health research conference last week. Pakistan has one of the world’s highest neonatal mortality rates, with a neonate dying every 2 minutes. Prematurity, infections and birth asphyxia cause
PESHAWAR: As health department continues to record incidence of communicable diseases in flood-stricken districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, psychiatrists say that most people face acute stress disorders due to loss of relatives and properties in the affected areas. “Many people are passing sleepless nights as they have lost brothers, fathers, sisters, sons and daughters due to floods. Many wake up and start crying, thinking as if they are dead. These nightmarish conditions are common after