LAHORE: A total of people across Punjab were bitten by stray dogs from January 2024 till March 2026, revealed a report of the provincial health & population department submitted to the Lahore High Court. As per the statistics presented in the report, 232,704 people were bitten by dogs in 2024, while 243,299 cases were reported in 2025. In the first three months of 2026 alone, as many as 38,586 incidents of dog bite were
Child Rights in Focus
KARACHI: Six people, including a child, were killed and several others were injured in rain-related incidents as heavy downpours lashed Karachi on April 2, police and rescue officials confirmed to The Express Tribune. The casualties occurred in incidents of electrocution and wall collapse, reported from various localities during intermittent heavy showers that affected the city throughout the morning and afternoon. In PIB Colony, near the post office and Quetta Hotel, a 30-year-old man, Abdul
THE war in the Middle East has had several unanticipated consequences, among them one which requires a little more concern from the authorities than has been shown. Anticipating fuel shortages from the jolts to the global energy supply chain, Pakistan had moved to suspend regular schooling, announced extended holidays and enforced online classes till the end of March. As education is a provincial subject, each of the provinces went about implementing these measures in
ISLAMABAD: Parliamentary Secretary for Information and Broadcasting, Barrister Danyal Chaudhry has reaffirmed the government’s commitment to inclusive, child-centred education at a roundtable hosted by Cities for Children and supported by the Malala Fund. The event, titled “Inspired Education: Investing in Creative Strategies to Reduce Dropout,” brought together policymakers, practitioners, and development partners to explore practical solutions for ensuring children not only access education but stay and thrive within it,” read a press release issued
PESHAWAR: The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Education Department has drastically altered school timings across government institutions. According to a formal notification issued by the department, all government schools will now begin classes at 7:30 am. Primary schools will close at 1:35 pm, middle schools at 2:35 pm, while high and higher secondary schools will end at 3:00 pm. The new schedule includes Friday, Saturday, and Sunday as weekly holidays. Class duration has also been extended from the
In this video, Sarah Ahmad, Chairperson of the Child Protection & Welfare Bureau, Punjab, speaks about why protecting children is ultimately a state responsibility, and what happens after a child enters state care. She discusses the scale of child rescue operations in Punjab, the realities behind reported cases of child abuse, abduction, child labour and forced begging, and how the adoption and foster care system functions in Pakistan, including the safeguards involved.
RAWALPINDI: In a shocking incident that has put humanity to shame, a teenage girl was subjected to repeated sexual assault with the consent of her maternal aunt and her husband. The 17-year-old victim’s maternal aunt allegedly abducted her niece through her husband and subjected her to rape. She later allegedly handed the girl over to a brothel-keeper, where she was reportedly forced into prostitution at a hotel for two months. The accused are also
KARACHI: The Sindh government has dismissed from service Controller of Examinations of the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), Mirpurkhas, Anwar Aleem Khanzada over tampering with matric and intermediate results and the “issuance of thousands of fake certificates”. Sindh Universities and Boards Minister Ismail Rahu also announced that 1,068 matric and 1,471 intermediate mark sheets and certificates issued between 2021 and 2025 had been cancelled. In a statement, the minister said that an
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on April 1 it has launched a new framework for teenagers’ accounts, enabling them to independently own and operate bank accounts and digital wallets. In a press release, the SBP outlined the key features of the initiative, emphasising the goal of fostering a financially literate, digitally adept generation. “The framework is designed to empower the country’s youth to save securely, transact confidently and develop responsible financial habits,”
KARACHI: A missing minor boy was found dead in an open manhole on March 30 near his home off Superhighway, triggering a protest by relatives and residents against local government representatives over their failure to cover sewers. SITE-Superhighway Industrial Area SHO Mohammed Nawaz told Dawn that three-year-old Ahsan Naveed had gone missing from his home in Faqeera Goth near New Subzi Mandi on Sunday night. Later, his body was spotted by a man in an open
BAHAWALPUR: Police claimed on March 30 that a suspect, who had allegedly raped and murdered a minor boy, was killed during an “encounter” in the limits of Hasilpur city police station. According to a Bahawalpur district police spokesperson, three suspects allegedly opened fire on a police patrolling team, which intercepted them for their identification. The police returned the fire and during the shootout one of the suspects was killed, allegedly in the firing by
DIR UPPER/QUETTA: In the rugged terrain of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Dir Upper district, the promise of equal educational opportunities for girls remains largely unfulfilled even in 2026. Official records reveal a glaring imbalance: while girls constitute more than half the population, educational facilities for female students lag significantly behind those for boys, forcing many to study in substandard conditions or drop out entirely. According to data from the District Education Office, the district has a total