BARA: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi on Feb 11 formally inaugurated the reconstruction and rehabilitation of 50 schools devastated by terrorism in the Bara area of Khyber tribal district, alongside the opening of a seven-kilometer bypass road. The projects, completed with Chinese financial and technical assistance, mark a significant step toward restoring education and improving infrastructure in a region long scarred by terrorism. Funded at a total cost of Rs3.21 billion, the school
Child Rights in Focus
RAWALPINDI: The body of a 14-year-old boy, who went missing from Lower Dewal village in Murree, has been recovered. The boy was brutally murdered and confirmation of alleged sexual assault will be determined after the post-mortem report. Police stated that 14-year-old Abdul Moeed was sent by his father to buy cigarettes from a shop at around 12pm on February 10, but he never returned home. After an extensive search, the family contacted police, who
KARACHI: Matriculation examinations across Karachi and the rest of Sindh will begin on March 31, while annual intermediate examinations will commence on April 15, following a decision approved on Thursday by the Sindh Education Department’s Steering Committee. The decision was taken during a meeting of the Steering Committee chaired by Sindh Education Minister Sardar Ali Shah. The committee agreed that the annual examinations for classes IX and X would be held after Eid, starting
KARACHI: A teenage boy murdered his stepmother in Landhi after he did not get a meal on time, police said on Wednesday. Quaidabad SHO Mohammed Ali Shah told Dawn that 15-year-old Jamal Muhammad was arrested on the complaint of his father for stabbing Perveen, 56, to death in their Sherpao home. He said the incident took place on Tuesday and the suspect ‘confessed’ to have committed the murder in a fit of rage after
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Feb 11 issued notices to the federal government, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), seeking a comprehensive report by March 3 on measures to regulate minors’ access to social media. Justice Arbab Muhammad Tahir directed the respondents to submit para-wise comments highlighting age-verification mechanisms, progress on establishing the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority, draft regulatory measures and enforcement steps against non-compliant
LAHORE: Child marriage is now a non-bailable crime in Punjab, with offenders facing up to seven years in prison and Rs1 million fine under a sweeping new ordinance promulgated by Punjab Governor Saleem Haider Khan here on Wednesday. Issued as the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Ordinance 2026, the law comes into immediate effect across the province, replacing the nearly century-old Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929. Promulgated under Article 128(1) of the Constitution while
RAWALPINDI: All education boards have increased the fee charged to students for the installation of CCTV cameras at examination centres from Rs30 to Rs1,030 for the Intermediate annual examinations scheduled for May 2026. The fee has been added to the examination entry charges, leaving students and parents alarmed by the sudden and steep increase. Previously, for the Matriculation annual examinations, students were charged Rs30 each for CCTV installation. The sharp rise to Rs1,030 for
PESHAWAR: In a move to eliminate organised begging networks across the province, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on February 9 approved the ‘Vagrancy Control and Rehabilitation Bill’ for presentation before the provincial cabinet for consent. He described the proposed legislation a historic and transformative step, saying the bill is aimed at dismantling the “beggar mafia” while adopting a rights based and rehabilitative approach for genuine victims of poverty and coercion, according toa statement
ISLAMABAD: While around a million children were missed during the year’s first nationwide polio campaign, Karachi stood out among the cities with most number of refusal cases. A total of 53,000 refusals were reported from across the country, with 58 per cent reported from Karachi alone, during the vaccination drive, which concluded on Feb 5 in most cities but ran till Feb 8 in Sindh. During the campaign, polio drops were administered to more
Islamabad: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has carried out a major operation, arresting a suspect allegedly involved in online child grooming and sexual exploitation. According to official sources, the arrest was made on February 4 and a case has been registered against the accused on the complaint of the state. The suspect has been identified as Taimur Mahmood, who faces serious charges related to the sexual exploitation of minors. Investigations reveal that
Rawalpindi: Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital in Rawalpindi has completed genetic testing for 139 patients from 91 families with inherited eye conditions, marking one year since opening Pakistan’s first genetic testing lab dedicated to eye disorders. The lab, launched in January 2025, assists doctors in identifying genes that cause inherited vision loss. These conditions affect roughly eight million people globally. Pakistan’s genetic eye disease burden is substantially higher than the global rate though no official
TAXILA: At least five people were injured in a suspected rabid dog attack in the village of Hameed of Hazro town on February 8, exposing the alarming failure of local authorities to curb the growing menace of stray dogs despite repeated complaints from residents. The injured have been identified as Khalid Khan, 53, Ameer Muawiya, 17, Inayat Ullah, 10, Muhammad Ayan, 8, and Ahmed, 4, who sustained bite injuries when the dog went on