ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Religious Affairs Kesoo Mal Kheal Das on December 4 informed the Senate that the Sindh government had taken prompt notice of the reported incident at Mirpur Sakro Girls High School involving allegations of pressuring non-Muslim students to convert to Islam. Responding to a calling attention notice moved by Senator Danesh Kumar, the minister said the affected family had raised the issue through a press conference, alleging that the school
Child Rights in Focus
LAHORE: The Punjab government’s decision to change the school curriculum has triggered strong opposition from publishers, who warned that the move would financially damage the publishing industry and disrupt the supply of textbooks for the upcoming academic session. The Punjab government had formed the Punjab Education, Curriculum, Training and Assessments Authority (PECTAA) to overhaul the education system by merging three key departments to streamline educational reforms. The PECTAA is replacing the Punjab Curriculum and Textbook Board,
KHYBER: Lack of awareness and lackluster response from the health authorities is resulting in rapid spread of Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome (Aids) among residents in different parts of Khyber, health experts told Dawn on December 2. They said Khyber district with 313 human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) cases was second after North Waziristan, which tops the list with 383 cases out of the total 1,488 in all the seven merged districts. Ironically no official function or an
ISLAMABAD: Experts at the concluding session of the Population Summit on December 2 said rampant population growth has remained a least priority issue of successive governments as they always focused on their own projection and opposition bashing. Former information and culture minister Mushahid Hussain Sayed, in his keynote address, said governments usually followed three Ps: politics, patronage and propaganda, ignoring major issues and brunt their energies on opposition bashing. In this context, the role
PESHAWAR: Health department has vaccinated 96 percent of the target children against measles-rubella during the 12-day campaign in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to officials. They said that 25 children had died of measles, one of the 12 vaccine-preventable childhood diseases, in the province so far, mostly because of non-vaccination. The recent drive was a step towards protection of children from the ailment that was avoidable through vaccination, they added. Officials said that authorities were hopeful
Every morning, millions of children walk into schools across Pakistan with hopes, dreams and a desire to learn. Yet, behind these school walls, many face risks that threaten not only their education but their safety, dignity, and emotional well-being. Safeguarding our children in educational institutions is no longer just a policy debate; it is a moral obligation that demands urgent national attention. Article 25-A guarantees a child’s right to education. But education without safety
WASHINGTON: Children who are given smartphones before the age of 12 are more likely to develop certain health problems, researchers report. According to a piece published by the journal Pediatrics, kids studied at age 12 were at a 1.3 times higher risk of depression, a 1.6 times higher risk of insufficient sleep and a 1.4 times higher risk of obesity, compared with children who didn’t yet have smartphones. Researchers at Children’s Hospital Philadelphia, the
• Pleas for FIR against mayor, KWSC, Gulshan town chairman and judicial inquiry land in courts • Parties, civil society demand mayor’s resignation • Celebrities blame failed civic management for tragedy KARACHI: The widespread outrage that the tragic death of a child, who drowned in an open manhole in Gulshan-i-Iqbal near Nipa, ignited has intensified, with political parties, civil society, and celebrities demanding answers, asking: “Who is responsible for this?” Three-year-old Ibrahim fell in an
The teenage son of Justice Mohammed Asif of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) was remanded into police custody on December 2 in a case where two young women lost their lives after being hit by a speeding sports utility vehicle (SUV). Judicial magistrate Shaista Khan Kundi issued the remand order on the police’s request. According to a First Information Report (FIR) registered at the Secretariat Police Station, the accident occurred late on Monday night
KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah inaugurated the School of Visual and Performing Arts building at the Arts Council on December 1 evening during the World Culture Festival. He first unveiled the plaque of the school and then went up the building to have a look at the different classrooms where students are taught. He then climbed the stage which was set in the Jaun Elia lawn. Speaking on the occasion, he thanked
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A woman allegedly murdered her two children in the suburban Darkhanawali locality here on December 1, the police said. They said the woman used a knife to slit throats of her infant son and toddler daughter. The deceased were identified as 40-day-old Suhail Khan, and two-year-old daughter Iqra Bibi. Prompt information provided by local residents led to the arrest of the woman. The children’s father, Sanaullah, got registered an FIR, stating
• Planning minister warns country could reach 370m by 2050, with annual addition of 4-4.5m people — equivalent to New Zealand’s population • Population Council chief highlights need for better population management, notes nearly half of 12.7m pregnancies are ‘unwanted or mistimed’ • After leading both countries until 1990, Pakistan’s per capita income is now lagging behind neighbours ISLAMABAD: Policymakers, experts, diplomats and lawmakers at the much-anticipated Pakistan Population Summit on December 1 expressed