SUKKUR: An ex-serviceman was shot dead allegedly by extortionists near Madeji Bypass in Shikarpur on December 8. The attack also left a 12-year-old girl dead and another man wounded. Police and locals told media that unknown armed men opened fire on the retired soldier, Liaquat Ujjan, leaving him and another man, Siraj Jatoi, critically injured. The young girl, Zoya Jatoi, also received bullet wounds and died on the spot. The victims happened to be
Child Rights in Focus
KARACHI: In one of the major neighbourhood-level interventions since the new local government system came into place in 2023, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has approved nearly Rs300 million per year —Rs100,000 per month each — for 246 union committees (UCs) to exclusively maintain manhole covers and streetlights. The decision came in a move triggered by a public outrage after a three-year-old boy drowned in an uncovered nullah near NIPA. “And this is in addition to
QUETTA: Unknown armed men gunned down a government school teacher and his 10-year-old son in the Kalat area, police said on December 8. The incident took place in the Mughalzai area, a locality on the outskirts of Kalat town, between Sunday night and Monday. Unknown armed men opened indiscriminate fire at an auto-rickshaw, resulting in the death of 10-year-old Mohammad Akram Zehri, who was travelling with his father. The school teacher, identified as Ghulam
ABU DHABI: Pakistan has emerged as a central focus of a global polio funding drive after international donors pledged $1.9 billion in Abu Dhabi to accelerate eradication efforts, with Pakistan remaining one of only two countries where the virus is still endemic. Pakistan committed $154 million to strengthen nationwide vaccination campaigns, surveillance, and emergency response. Pakistan’s Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal represented the country at the event, which was also attended by Bill Gates, World
The Sindh Assembly unanimously passed a resolution on December 9, calling upon the government to fix a uniform legal age of marriage of 18 years for both girls and boys across Pakistan, reaffirming Sindh’s leadership in protecting children’s rights and ending child marriage nationwide. The resolution welcomed the assent of President Asif Ali Zardari to the Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025, for the Islamabad Capital Territory, which declares 18 years as the minimum legal
The Punjab Child Protection Policy was approved in June 2025. The policy outlines the Government of Punjab’s commitment to safeguarding children from abuse, violence, exploitation, neglect, and harmful practices, in line with the UNCRC and constitutional obligations. It establishes a framework for prevention and coordinated response through strengthened legal, institutional, and governance systems across multiple departments. The policy defines roles for all stakeholders, including families, government bodies, private institutions, and civil society to ensure
GUJAR KHAN: Students of Government Girls High School Guliyana, Gujar Khan, are forced to study while squatting on the cold classroom floors due to non-availability of student furniture. Parents of the girls pointed out that Government Girls High School Guliyana was established decades ago and remains one of the most prominent schools in Gujar Khan tehsil, with a large catchment area. They added that landowners had generously donated valuable land for the establishment and
There is something deeply tragic about how the world of numbers works. On paper, cutting off international aid to stimulate the local economy seems a plausible measure. But, in reality, the effects of such cuts are devastating and almost irreversible. At a time when the world should be celebrating continued gains against child mortality, the Gates Foundation has raised alarms. In its annual Goalkeepers report, the foundation highlights that roughly 200,000 more children are
KARACHI: A man allegedly murdered his wife and severely injured his daughter during a domestic dispute at their home near Noorani Mosque in Upper Gizri, Clifton on the night of 5 December. Their 12-year-old daughter succumbed to her injuries before reaching Jinnah Hospital. Police identified the victims as 45-year-old Kulsoom and her daughter Maryam. Clifton SHO Imran Saad, upon receiving the report, reached the scene with police personnel, arrested the suspect, Samiullah, and recovered
JHELUM: Parents in Jhelum have voiced strong outrage after a group of students was allegedly detained and mistreated by local police over minor traffic violations. The students were reportedly held in custody the entire day and produced before the court late at night, a move that families say has caused deep psychological distress. Parents accused the police of using minor infractions as a pretext to “humiliate citizens at will,” questioning why their children were
SAHIWAL: A 16-year-old girl has accused her father and elder brother of repeatedly raping her at Hasan Colony, Iqbalnagar, Sahiwal tehsil. On her complaint, Kasowal police registered a case under Section 375A of the Pakistan Penal Code, arrested both suspects and initiated investigation. According to police, complainant ‘R’ lives in a joint family where her father (42), resides with two wives, two brothers and their children. The whole family, including the complainant, works as
BAHAWALPUR: An uncovered manhole of an underground sewerage line claimed the life of a seven-year-old boy in Dhanote town near Lodhran city on December 6. Taking note of the boy’s death, Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz ordered the transfer of Lodhran Deputy Commissioner Dr Lubna Nazir. Dawn learnt that Rehan, a prep student, went to a nearby market along with his father, Allah Rakha, to buy some edibles. After buying him edibles, his father sent