ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court ruled on Mar 17 that the death sentence serves as a deterrent in society, discouraging others from committing similar heinous offences. A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar and comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, issued its judgement on an appeal against the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) verdict in a murder case, delivered on June 21, 2023. The appellant, Abdul Razzaq,
Child Rights in Focus
PESHAWAR: Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Arshad Ayub Khan on Mar 18 instructed chairmen of educational boards to take measures to provide facilities to students during the matriculation examinations slated for March 31. An official handout said that he was chairing a meeting about the upcoming matriculation examinations.Elementary and Secondary Education Secretary Muhammad Khalid, Special Secretary Iftikhar Ali Khan, and chairman of Boards of Intermediate and Secondary Education from across the province participated
Years of hard work and relentless vaccination campaigns have finally brought Pakistan to a point where it can taste optimism. According to news reports, Data from Pakistan’s Polio Eradication Programme shows that the majority of the environmental samples collected during the first two months of 2026 have tested negative for the poliovirus; 111 out of 126 environmental samples collected across the country tested negative in February. A further comparison between the first two months
Nearly 28% of children aged 5–16 are not enrolled in school, with girls disproportionately affected, as 34% of girls are out of school compared to 22% of boys. These disparities are more pronounced in rural areas, particularly for girls, where exclusion from education is much worse, revealing a clear intersection of gender and geography as a predictor of educational disadvantage. The HIES survey by Gallup Pakistan highlights that although two-thirds of Pakistanis aged 10 and
BAJAUR/LOWER DIR: A ceremony was held in the Khar area of Bajaur district on March 17 to inaugurate the school enrolment campaign, with speakers emphasising the need for concerted efforts to make the drive result-oriented. The inaugural ceremony was arranged by the education department’s local office. Deputy commissioner Shahid Ali Khan, deputy district education officer Lawoo Dan Shahid, and others were present on the occasion. The speakers urged the citizens, particularly influential community members,
SARGODHA: A man allegedly killed his wife, daughter and four minor sons in the name of “honour” and later attempted suicide at Chak No 25-SB in Bhagtanwala police station limits. According to police sources, the suspect, Yasin, allegedly axed to death his family members and attempted suicide by injuring himself with a knife on the night of Mar 15. According to the police, complainant Mansoor Hasnain said his sister Farkhunda was married to Yasin
KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Monday sent a man to prison on judicial remand in a case pertaining to possession and transmission of child sexual abuse material on WhatsApp. The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) had initiated an inquiry on a complaint filed by one of its officials, following a report from the National Centre for Missing and Exploitation (NCMEC). The complainant had claimed that the suspect possessed and shared `child pornographic content`
KASUR: Seven children showing measles symptoms were hospitalised on Mar 16, belonging to Veerkay Nau village near Talwandi in Chunian tehsil, where locals say no one has ever been vaccinated against the contagious disease. As per local sources, the cases surfaces when a doctor, who was no a private visit to the village, notices some children of the host family with measles symptoms. He was alarmed to know that the entire population of the
CHINIOT: A private school was sealed for violating vacation orders while 53 unregistered schools got notices. Chiniot District Education Authority Chief Executive Officer Azhar Sohail Niazi sent notices to 53 unregistered schools operating in all three tehsils of district Chiniot. The notice said that the Punjab Private Educational Institutions Ordinance 1984 barred all unregistered schools from operations or continuing functioning without an e-License. Moreover, the ordinance provides powers to impose a fine which may
THE federal government has embarked upon the welcome initiative to enrol 25,000 out-of-school children in Islamabad within three months. With Pakistan home to roughly 26m out-of-school children, a serious effort to get them into classrooms is essential and long overdue. The campaign’s structure suggests that the authorities recognise the scale of the challenge. Door-to-door surveys, the mobilisation of university volunteers, collaboration with NGOs and the creation of community schools near identified hotspots are all
QUETTA: The Balochistan government on Mar 16 decided to upgrade nearly 1,000 schools and launch a five-year programme to bring out-of-school children into the formal education system. The decisions were taken at a provincial government meeting convened to discuss preparations for the upcoming budget. Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan briefed participants of the meeting on key features of the next fiscal year’s budget, with particular focus on improving the education sector and expanding access
How can sports shape stronger minds and healthier futures? In this episode of #LetsTalkEducation, Major Sajid Hussain, Founder & Coach of Shaheen Archery Islamabad, dives deep into the power of physical education, from building discipline to nurturing confidence and teamwork among students.