• Calls for nationwide audit, seizure of non-compliant, falsely labelled stocks • Blames Drap, provincial authorities for ‘catastrophic failure’ KARACHI: Warning of a looming “man-made epidemic”, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) on April 30 expressed serious concern over the widespread manufacture and use of reusable syringes despite a countrywide ban and demanded an audit of all syringe-manufacturing units and the seizure of all non-compliant stocks. The association also called for a high-level inquiry into
Child Rights in Focus
SAHIWAL: The bodies of two minor brothers were recovered on 1st May from a tin trunk in their house at Bashera village of Sahiwal tehsil, hours after they allegedly went missing. Initial police investigation suggested the boys got asphyxiated after hiding in a trunk out of fear, during a violent quarrel between their parents on the previous night. However, Bahadar Shah Police expressed doubts over the parents’ claim after the medical examination of the
KARACHI: A sessions court has directed a man to pay over Rs6.7 million as diyat (blood money) to the legal heirs of a teenage boy who was killed in accidental firing in the Chakiwara area. Additional District and Sessions Judge (South) Irshad Hussain found Muhammad Hasnain alias Babul guilty of committing the offence of qatl-bis-sabab (manslaughter), as, in an “intoxicated” condition, unloading the chamber of a pistol led to firing and resulted in the
The National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication (NEOC) confirmed two new cases of wild poliovirus in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on April 29. The cases were reported in Bannu and North Waziristan, where access constraints continue to aid poliovirus transmission, posing a continued risk to children’s well-being. Pakistan has reported three polio cases so far in 2026. Since the launch of the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) in 1994, Pakistan has reduced polio cases by 99.8% — from
Four in every ten children aged between 12 and 36 months living in high-risk areas across seven cities in Pakistan were found to have lead in their blood, according to a study released by the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination in collaboration with UNICEF. The findings highlight a serious public health concern, as lead exposure can stunt growth, cause anaemia, weaken the immune system, and adversely affect cognitive development. It is also associated
Child marriage in Pakistan has never been sustained by law alone. Instead, it has survived because the law itself has remained fractured. The passage of the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 by the Punjab Assembly is therefore significant for what it exposes across the federation, which is a deeply uneven legal regime. Punjab’s decision to raise the minimum age to 18 for both boys and girls and criminalise violations with stronger penalties brings it
KARACHI: Annual intermediate examinations under the Board of Intermediate Education Karachi began on Wednesday, with anti-cheating measures, including advanced security features introduced by the board, proving effective. An attempt to leak an exam paper from a centre in the Gadap area was foiled. According to Inter Board Chairman Ghulam Muhammad Lakho, more than 160,000 students are appearing in the exams in morning and evening shifts. A total of 175 examination centres have been set
MIRANSHAH: A significant rise in Leishmania cases has been reported in the Azam Warsak and Shahin Panga areas of Barmal Tehsil in Lower South Waziristan, sparking alarm among local residents and health authorities, officials said on April 25. According to locals, the disease is spreading rapidly in rural areas, with a large number of children among those affected. The situation has caused widespread fear and panic among parents, who fear the disease could spread
LOWER DIR: Suspected remains of a six-year-old girl, who went missing some six months ago from Nagri Payeen village of Talash, were recovered from a mountainous area in Talash on April 27, the police and residents said. Police said the child, identified as Masroora, had gone missing on Oct 12. The Talash police had also registered an FIR regarding her disappearance, but despite repeated efforts by police, local elders, volunteers and social workers, no
LAHORE: The Punjab government has scaled up its flagship Green School Certification Programme, an initiative aimed at embedding environmental responsibility among students and building a climate-resilient future. The programme has witnessed widespread participation from both public and private educational institutions. Officials said 26,330 schools across 41 districts have formally pledged to adopt environmentally sustainable practices, with over 7.6 million students and teachers registered so far under the initiative. The initiative is being led by
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan–China International Conference on Food-Medicine Homology, Nutrition and Health brought together leading scientists, policymakers, regulators and industry experts from Pakistan and China to strengthen bilateral cooperation in health sciences, nutrition and traditional medicine. Speaking as the chief guest at the event that opened on Monday at the Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science and Technology (SZABIST),Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal termed the conference a timely initiative on an important subject. He
• Heated debate ensues after lawmakers not provided copies of Child Marriage Restraint bill • Azma protests suggestion under-18s be allowed to marry ‘with court permission’ • Minister opposes amendment seeking to void marriages consummated after abduction or forced conversion LAHORE: The Punjab Assembly on Monday passed the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2026 with a majority vote, without incorporating an amendment seeking the annulment by a court of a child marriage consummated after