LAHORE: The federal government has recommended Matric arts students to get admission to FSc (Pre-Medical, Pre-Engineering), ICS, and Diploma of Associate Engineering (DAE) programmes. The recommendation was given in 182nd meeting chaired by IBCC Executive Director Dr Ghulam Ali Mallah held at the Punjab Board of Technical Education (PBTE), Lahore, on Monday. IBCC Director Dr Shahzad Ali Gill briefed the participants on the agenda items. During the session, the committee recommended that students of
Child Rights in Focus
Report Paints Grim Picture of Child Safety in the Capital
November 11, 2025
ISLAMABAD: An alarming figure of 276 cases of violence against children were reported in the federal capital during the first half of the current year. The statistics were unveiled in the Sustainable Social Development Organisation’s (SSDO) Factsheet on Violence Against Children in Islamabad, covering the period from January to June 2025. The data, obtained through the Right to Information (RTI) Act from the Islamabad police, paints a deeply concerning picture of the state of
Child Raped, Murdered in Mirpurkhas; Locals Stage Protest
November 11, 2025
HYDERABAD: A seven-year-old child, who had been missing for five days, was found dead with her body packed in a gunny bag and thrown by the side of a water distributary on November 9th, 2025. This gruesome incident occurred in Baloch Mohalla in Jhalori, a rural town in Shujabad taluka of Mirpurkhas district. The town’s residents, who resorted to protests by closing markets and burning tyres, described the incident as nothing less than a
Full Immunisation Coverage in Balochistan Rises to 47pc: Bugti
November 11, 2025
QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti has said full immunisation coverage in the province, which had remained stagnant for five years, has risen from 38 percent to 47pc within a year. Speaking here on November 8, CM Bugti noted that “significant improvement” in the province’s public health sector is the result of effective reforms introduced by his government. The chief minister said there has been a remarkable rise in the rate of child
Residents Demand Girls School in Dir Village
November 11, 2025
LOWER DIR: Residents of Malakand Bala here have complained about lack of a girls’ primary school in the village, forcing pupils to study at the boys’ school. Talking to reporters, Malik Abdul Mustaan, Farhad and others said the boys’ school was also without a boundary wall, making it unsafe for students as there was a risk of children falling into the nearby stream. The residents said a dirt road was constructed to the area
Call to Declare Health Emergency in Karachi, Hyderabad amid Dengue Surge
November 10, 2025
PMA alleges lack of political will to ensure sanitation, waste management and fumigation turned cities into breeding sites of mosquitoes • Over 400 patients currently under treatment in public and private hospitals: health dept • Officials say over 11,700 cases reported from Sindh this year KARACHI: As the dengue fever crisis persists with more than 400 patients battling the mosquito-borne viral infection in hospitals across the province, the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) has called
Minor Girl Dies of Rabies Despite Timely Treatment in Shangla
November 10, 2025
SHANGLA: A minor girl lost her life after a stray dog bit her in the Makhozi area of Puran tehsil of Shangla. The nine-year-old girl’s death due to a stray dog bite has raised questions over the effectiveness of anti-rabies vaccines. According to locals, the incident occurred in the Makhuzi area of Shangla district, where a 9-year-old girl, Anab, daughter of Muhammad Ayub and a resident of Sangrai, died of rabies despite receiving immediate
Man Gets Life Term in Rape Case
November 10, 2025
BAHAWALNAGAR: A sessions court in Fort Abbas sentenced a man to life imprisonment on Saturday for raping a minor boy. Additional Sessions Judge Shahbaz Ahmad convicted Shehzad Ahmad of Khichiwala, who appeared on bail, of committing the offence under section 376-III (rape of a minor or a person with a mental or physical disability) of the PPC. A case was registered against Shehzad by the Khichiwala police on the complaint of victim’s uncle on
Suspect Arrested after Boy Killed in Aerial Firing
November 10, 2025
KARACHI: Police on November 8 claimed to have arrested a man for allegedly killing an eight-year-old boy in an incident of aerial firing near Gujjar Nala on the night of November 7. According to Gulberg police, a bullet fired from an unknown direction pierced the main door of a house near Gujjar Nala and hit the boy, Mehtab Husain, on the shoulder while he was in the courtyard. The child succumbed to his wound.
‘HIV-infected Blood’ Transfused to Child, Adult Patients
November 10, 2025
ISLAMABAD: A child and an adult were reportedly exposed to HIV last month here after infected blood and components were issued by the blood bank of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) due to alleged negligence and procedural failures. In the first case, two components of HIV positive blood, fresh frozen plasma and platelets, were issued and transfused to a child from Azad Kashmir at PIMS when HIV status of blood bag was not
LAHORE: Provincial Health Minister Khawaja Salman Rafique said that under the Chief Minister’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme, more than 8,000 innocent children have been completely free-of-cost heart surgeries across the province at a cost of billions of rupees. Under the CM’s Children’s Heart Surgery Programme, hundreds of children from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 192 from Azad Kashmir, 85 from Islamabad, 25 from Balochistan, 23 from Gilgit-Baltistan and 17 from Sindh have been completely free of cost
Citizens’ Health at Risk in Karachi as ‘Hazardous’ Clouds of Dust, Smog hang in the Air
November 9, 2025
• Hospitals report large number of chest infection cases, including pneumonia • People urged to wear face masks and avoid going out unnecessarily • Experts stress need for eating nutritious food to raise immunity levels KARACHI: With a significant drop in minimum temperature, Karachi has been experiencing what the Met Office has described as “hazardous smog” that poses a serious health risk to people, particularly children. Health experts have called upon the general public