RAWALPINDI: A sharp rise in stray dog bite incidents has been reported within the jurisdiction of the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC), with four individuals — including a woman — injured over the past 48 hours and brought to government hospitals. Hospital sources confirmed that three children were among those attacked. The injured have been identified as 28-year-old Hajra Bibi, 10-year-old Luqman, 10-year-old Hareem, and five-year-old Fatima. Two of the victims were treated at Benazir
Child Rights in Focus
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court has ruled that while underage marriages may invite criminal liability under the Child Marriage Act, 1929, such unions cannot be declared void, holding that the law provides only for penal consequences and does not invalidate the marriage itself. In a detailed judgment authored by Justice Hassan Azhar Rizvi, the court also held that under Islamic law, a Muslim man is permitted to marry women from the “People of the
ISLAMABAD: In countless homes, parents reach for phones, tablets or laptops to quiet restless toddlers, seeking brief relief in busy days. But this simple act is fuelling a hidden crisis. By choosing screens over real interaction, they are unknowingly raising children vulnerable to virtual autism, a condition that stunts emotional growth and social skills during critical early years. What feels like a moment of peace today could cost a lifetime of challenges tomorrow. The
PESHAWAR: Elementary and secondary education department has hired half of the invigilation staff from among the fresh graduates for the upcoming matric examinations with the resolve to save time of students studying in government schools. So far, only teachers of government schools have been performing duty as invigilation staff in matriculation and intermediate examinations across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The absence of the teachers, who perform duty at the examination centres, results in wastage of time
QUETTA: The Child Rights Movement Balochistan has urged the government to provide relief to parents by waiving or reducing fees at private educational institutions, while praising the federal government’s austerity policy as a positive step towards curbing unnecessary expenditures. The movement pointed out that although schools have been closed under the policy, no relief has yet been extended to parents. Private schools and transport operators continue to charge full monthly tuition and transportation fees,
ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Mar 25 upheld the validity of a marriage between a Christian woman and a Muslim man, while rejecting a habeas corpus petition filed by her father seeking her recovery. Headed by Justice Syed Hasan Azhar Rizvi, a two-judge bench held that the woman, who had embraced Islam, was of mature age and therefore in the lawful custody of her husband. The observation came in a judgement deciding
GUJAR KHAN: Two boys have been arrested under the charge of sexually abusing a special minor girl in the Bara Gawah area of Domeli police station in Jhelum district. A resident of Gajial village told the police on March 16 that his son Mohammad Ali had left his five children with him after divorcing his wife. He added that one of his two granddaughters, aged 14, was mentally retarded. He alleged that on March
KOHAT: Around 4,000 students from Kohat, Karak, Hangu, Teerah, Shakardarra and Darra Adamkhel, who have changed schools, have accused the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education, Kohat, of not allowing them to sit their 9th and 10th grade exams in their new institutions. In a statement issued here, they stated that they were charged Rs1,500 each as a migration fee. The upcoming board exams for 9th and 10th grades are scheduled from March 31
ISLAMABAD: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has revealed that tuberculosis kills 140 people per day in Pakistan, it informed during World Tuberculosis Day on Mar 24. The government of Pakistan and the WHO have reminded the public that tuberculosis(TB) is curable and that early detection and treatment are vital to save lives, encouraging people to visit the more than 2,000 facilities (both public and private) that offer free diagnosis and treatment across the country.
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has disclosed that while the 2022 floods damaged over 19,500 schools across the province, the government is reconstructing and repairing more than 5,000 of them under provincial, federal and donor-funded programmes, thereby restoring educational facilities for more than 1.4 million students. The meeting, held at CM House, reviewed the progress of school reconstruction and rehabilitation. It was attended by Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Shah, Chief Secretary Asif
CHINIOT: The district education authority (DEA) has sealed 140 private educational institutions operating across the tehsils of Lalian, Bhowana and Chiniot for functioning without valid registration certificates and e-licences. Under the Private Educational Institutions (Promotion and Regulation) Ordinance, 1984, as amended from time to time, all private schools are required to obtain registration and an e-licence from the relevant district education authority to continue operations. However, data collected by the DEA through its field
WORLD Tuberculosis Day is meant to remind governments that one of humanity’s oldest diseases remains among its deadliest. Despite decades of medical progress, TB continues to infect millions each year. The WHO’s Global Tuberculosis Report 2025 estimates that 10.7m people developed TB in 2024and about 1.23m died, making it the leading cause of death from a single infectious agent worldwide. While Covid-19 once dominated global attention, TB has quietly continued to kill on a