KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has directed the National Database and Registration Authority(Nadra), social welfare department and union councils concerned to devise a uniform and child-sensitive mechanism for registration of abandoned and orphaned children residing in orphanage homes across the province. The SHC also ordered the authorities to facilitate the issuance of birth certificates and CNICs/child registration certificates to such children within a reasonable time in order to ensure that they were not deprived
Child Rights in Focus
PESHAWAR: The language that the physically-challenged children speak in a sprawling building of ‘Angels Home’ here makes little sense to the hale and hearty visiting this place. No cheers here, no cries of children in a park, reverberating through the air as they clamour for a ride on the slide, the seesaw or a swing. The Angels Home, which houses 125 mostly bedridden children, is on the verge of closure due to funds’ shortage.
LAHORE: Climate change continued to disrupt educational activities across Punjab in 2025, with rising smog levels, harsher winters and extreme summer heat forcing repeated school closures and reducing effective teaching days. According to education officials, schools remained closed for an additional 20 to 25 days due to weather-related factors during the year. Smog remained the most significant factor. In November 2025, dense smog engulfed several cities of the province, prompting authorities to suspend classes
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has dismissed a petition challenging the recording of a witness statement in the absence of the accused and his counsel in the murder case of TikToker Sana Yousaf. In a detailed nine-page judgment, Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro rejected the plea filed by accused Umar Hayat against the trial court proceedings, observing that no legal flaw, irregularity or jurisdictional defect had been found in the impugned order. The court noted that the
ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police have taken into custody a proclaimed offender accused of abducting a 13-year-old girl and forcibly marrying her two years ago, following his detention by Bahawalnagar Police. An official said on Sunday that the accused, identified as Ahsan Ali, was wanted in case No 670/24 registered at Noon Police Station, Islamabad. The official said the accused allegedly lured the minor girl from the jurisdiction of Noon Police Station and
LAHORE: The Punjab School Education Department has placed all schools in the province on high security alert, issuing directives aimed at preventing any untoward incident. The district education authorities have been instructed through a notification to ensure strict implementation of security measures in both government and private schools. The directives include enhanced monitoring of visitors, alertness of security staff during school hours and construction of eight-foot high boundary walls topped with barbed wire. The
Every few years in Pakistan, madrassahs return to the headlines as if they are a new discovery. A tragedy occurs. A security report is published. A political speech is delivered. And once again, the debate collapses into accusation and denial. There are few words in Pakistan’s public life that ignite more heat than ‘madrassah’. The moment it is spoken, the debate fractures into two predictable camps. One sees sacred tradition under siege. The other
Girls’ education statistics have shown remarkable improvements over the past few years, but, unfortunately, given the extremely weak starting point, they are still well off the mark for a nation that hopes to create a socioeconomic miracle. The Federal Ministry of Education and Technical Training’s Girls’ Education Statistics and Trends Report 2023-24 shows that, despite historic progress on many fronts, there is still a lot to worry about, most notably the stubborn stagnation of
KARACHI / LARKANA: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has expressed its grave concern over the recent incident of forced eviction of long-settled families in Umerkot district. In a statement issued on Friday, it said that the reported conduct of the police, including violence against women, children and the elderly, reflected “entrenched structural deficiencies, a politicised command, weak civilian oversight and impunity for excesses”. It said that suspension (of some police officers and
SWABI: A 13-year-old girl was injured when a homemade drone carrying explosive material crashed and detonated outside the Government Girls Higher Secondary School in Pabini village, Swabi district, on Friday. According to ASP Numan Khan, the drone exploded upon impact, wounding the student who was near the school premises. Rescue teams promptly provided first aid at the scene and transferred her to a hospital via ambulance for further treatment. Other students inside the school
LODHRAN: An additional district and sessions court in Lodhran has sentenced a man to four counts of the death penalty and imposed a fine of Rs200,000 after finding him guilty of poisoning his wife and three children in 2023. Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Ayaz announced the verdict, convicting the accused, Saghir Abbas, on four separate counts of murder. According to the prosecution, the convict poisoned his wife, Rukhsana Bibi, and three of their children,
BUREWALA: An accused in a rape-cum-murder case of a minor girl was sentenced to double life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs800,000 in a four-year-old case, here on Feb 27. Additional Sessions Judge Mohsin Ali announced the verdict, sentencing the accused, Sufiyan Ali, to two life terms with a hefty fine. The case was prosecuted by Advocate Zahid Mehmood. According to the prosecution, the convict kidnapped the six-year-old daughter of Amjad Ali, a