THE International Mother Earth Day, observed every year on April 22, is in many ways an acknowledgement that we are entirely reliant on everything that happens on Earth, and, therefore, we need to make sustainable contributions that strengthen our relationship with the planet we inhabit. But, is a single day enough to do the job? When we look around, there is no doubt that nature is suffering right now. The swift transformations occurring within
Child Rights in Focus
RAWALPINDI: As the district launched its week-long polio vaccination drive on April 21, health workers in at least three tehsils – Kahuta, Kallar Syedan, and Gujar Khan – refused to participate in the campaign to protest the decision to outsource public-sector hospitals. According to Young Doctors Association’s office-bearer Dr Aarif Aziz, the notification for the outsourcing of the Jinnah Hospital Lahore had been issued while there was a plan to outsource different departments of Mayo
GUJAR KHAN: A seven-year-old girl, who went missing on April 20, was found strangled to death and allegedly sexually assaulted in an under-construction house located in her neighbourhood in the limits of Mandra police of Gujar Khan. Police have registered a case on the complaint of the victim’s father. According to the First Information Report (FIR), the complainant said they were celebrating Easter with family and relatives and his daughter was playing outside the
QUETTA: Over 2.6 million children under the age of five will be administered polio drops under the week-long polio drive beginning in Balochistan from April 21. According to Inam-ul-Haq, the Coordinator of the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), Balochistan, all preparations have been made for the campaign. Under the drive, he said, over 11,000 teams will participate, which include 9,128 mobile teams, 920 fixed-site teams, and 586 transit point teams. Stressing the urgency of the campaign, Mr
Officials attribute the postponement to a change in XI results due to grace marks, absence of the board chairman KARACHI: The Board of Intermediate Education Karachi (BIEK) annual examinations of XI-XII for the year 2025 have been delayed. The pre-engineering, pre-medical and science general group exams that were to start on April 28 will now commence from May 6 or later. Due to delay in the first phase of exams, the second phase, which
The right of children to identity is globally recognised, with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child emphasising its critical importance. As a signatory to this convention, Pakistan is committed to upholding and protecting this right. Yet for many children in the country, access to legal identity remains a distant dream. Orphans, street children and those without parental presence often struggle to gain legal recognition. This issue stems largely from insufficient
A sessions court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment on charges of raping a Class V student. Aijaz was found guilty of sexually abusing his landlord’s 11-year-old daughter after abducting her from their house in Kearmari in February 2022. Additional Sessions Judge (South) Abdul Zahoor sentenced the convict to life imprisonment for offence of rape as punishable under Section 376 (3) of the Pakistan Penal Code. He awarded ten-year imprisonment to the man
In many countries, exams are minimally supervised, but penalties for getting caught are extremely high The integrity of education boards across Sindh has come into question in light of recently uncovered irregularities and controversial decisions regarding marking in exams. Meanwhile, reports of rampant cheating by students raise questions not only about the boards’ ability to conduct competitive exams, but what kind of morals we, as a society, are instilling in our children. In many
Body of the victim was found in Gujjar Nullah KARACHI: Endemic sexual violence targeting young girls shows growing perversion and frustration in society. In the latest disturbing incident, a five-year-old girl was murdered after being subjected to sexual abuse in Liaquatabad. The body of the girl, who went missing from Sikandar Goth, was found dumped in Gujjar Nullah on April 16. According to police, a missing report had been filed at Sachal police station
The Malir City police on 17-April-2025 registered a case against four suspects, including a student named Faizan, for allegedly subjecting a 17-year-old girl to gang rape. According to the FIR, the incident occurred on April 14 when the victim was on her way to school. As per the complaint filed by the victim’s father, Faizan and his three accomplices allegedly abducted his daughter at gunpoint, forced her to consume an intoxicating substance, and then
With over 220,000 children missed in the February anti-polio campaign — including nearly 43,000 children who were not allowed to have polio vaccine administered and over 177,000 children who were not available when vaccination teams tried to reach them — Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has called for intensified efforts to convert refusals and improve field supervision ahead of the upcoming National Immunisation Days (NIDs) scheduled from April 21 till 27. “Sindh
Islamabad: A significant meeting was held at the office of the Parliamentary Secretary for Education here on 17-April-2025 to deliberate on Pakistan’s future direction in the fields of education and artificial intelligence. The discussion focused on integrating AI into the national education system and fostering international collaboration for advancements in education and health sectors. Dr. Ishfaq Ahmad, an information technology and AI visionary currently based in Australia, expressed his strong commitment to leading Pakistan