LAHORE: Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on December 4 formed a steering committee to eradicate forced child labour across the province. According to a notification, a 15-member committee led by Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb will map all sectors across Punjab to identify industries or areas where forced child labour is prevalent. “Special data will be collected from industrial units, brick kilns, agriculture, fisheries, workshops and auto-repair sectors. A province-level central data bank integrated with
Child Rights in Focus
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Elementary and Secondary Education Arshad Ayub Khan has ordered an investigation into the alleged printing of additional textbooks worth Rs130 million by KP Textbook Board and said that legal action be taken against those involved. He was presiding over a briefing session regarding KP Textbook Board here on December 4. The briefing was attended by Secretary Elementary and Secondary Education Muhammad Khalid, Chairman KP Textbook Board Abidullah Kakakhel, Secretary
• Petition before LHC fears ‘bloody sport’ may cause deaths; ordinance issued despite assembly being in session • Azma says festival will no longer be dangerous activity, rather a secure cultural celebration LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on December 4 was moved against the Punjab government’s decision to lift the ban on Basant celebration through an ordinance that revived the festival after 18 years, with strict conditions to prevent any potential loss of life. The Judicial
KARACHI: National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) Chairperson Ume Laila Azhar led a delegation that visited women’s and juvenile jails in Karachi on December 4. The delegation assessed delays in dispensing justice and reviewed the ongoing prison reform initiatives. The delegation included NCSW members Zofeen Ibrahim and Seema Maheshwari; Altaf Hussain Khoso and Salma Habib Bhutto, representatives of the Pakistan Legal United Society (Plus). During the visit, they reviewed the case status
KARACHI: A seven-year-old girl died of dengue fever at a private hospital on December 4, the provincial health department stated. Official data shows that the girl, hailing from Gwadar, passed away the same day she was admitted to the hospital. Currently, according to the data, 48 patients are under treatment at government-run and private hospitals in the province. Forty-five patients were discharged on Thursday. It may be recalled that at least 37 patients have
KARACHI: A student of a madressah located near Ghaghar Phatak in Steel Town was allegedly kidnapped by Katcha-based dacoits, according to a complaint filed with the SSP Malir office. The complainant, Mufti Syed Abdul Haq Shah, stated that the student, Saleem Khan, had taken leave on November 20 to visit his family in their village. On November 25, the madressah received an audio call from an unknown WhatsApp number, during which Saleem claimed he
LAHORE: The Punjab government continues to promote the idea of digitalising health, education, and other basic services, yet many initiatives have failed to achieve their intended impact due to logistical limitations. One such initiative was the E-Learning Project. Labelled as a “digital revolution”, the project aimed to improve the quality and accessibility of education by ensuring that every student has access to digital learning materials including e-textbooks, video lectures, and interactive content on official
Even the tragic death of a toddler in an open sewer in NIPA failed to jolt civic authorities out of their apathy, as little to no action has been taken to prevent such fatal incidents in the future. On December 4, another three-year-old fell into an uncovered manhole in Baldia Town’s Sector 12-D, once again laying bare the negligence of the relevant civic bodies. However, local residents rushed to her aid and managed to
The Punjab School Education Department has officially confirmed the schedule for winter vacations across all public and private schools in the province. The announcement comes after directives from Provincial Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat. In a formal notification, the department revealed that winter vacations will begin from December 22, 2025, and will run until January 10, 2026. During this period, all schools will remain closed due to the annual winter break. “The schedule has
FAISALABAD: A total of 97 women and girls were subjected to gang-rape across Faisalabad district during the first 11 months of the current year, yet not a single accused was convicted in court, official statistics show. The number of gang-rape cases registered in 2024 was 80. During the current year, 97 gang-rape cases were reported in Faisalabad district. Of these, 12 cases were registered in Lyallpur Town, 23 in Iqbal Town Division, 27 in
KARACHI: Sindh faces a complex nutrition crisis driven by persistently high acute malnutrition, weak health-system capacity and recurring climate shocks that deepen food insecurity. The aftermath of the 2022 floods continues to strain services, while gaps in screening, referral, and treatment leave many Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) and Moderate Acute Malnutrition (MAM) cases undetected or unmanaged. These points were highlighted at the closeout event of an EU-funded project — Strengthening local civil society and
KARACHI/LARKANA: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has called for breaking ingrained biases, stressing that true inclusion of Persons with Disabilities requires a cultural shift to eradicate attitudinal barriers. He said this while speaking at a programme held to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The event was organised by the Department of Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities (DEPD) at Al-Noor Park, Clifton. It highlighted the Sindh government’s dedication to transforming global