ISLAMABAD: As online spaces grow increasingly unsafe for children, Pakistan is facing an unprecedented surge in digital evidence linked to child sexual exploitation and abuse, with nearly one million referrals received each year; therefore, swift identification of the most urgent cases has become a critical national priority. In response, the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has launched ‘Katalyst’, an AI-enabled investigative tool designed to strengthen the country’s capacity to detect, prioritise, and investigate
Child Rights in Focus
RAWALPINDI: Authorities have exposed a major network involved in producing, buying and selling obscene videos of children, arresting a key operative and recovering more than 600 videos. The suspect, identified as Taimur Mahmood, a resident of Murree, was arrested from Rawalpindi by the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA). According to authorities, he posed as a girl on social media to lure underage boys and then blackmailed them through obscene videos. Data retrieved from
LAHORE: Several digital and child rights groups have cautioned that blanket bans or age-based prohibitions on children’s access to social media are a flawed and regressive response to risks including online abuse, exploitation, harassment and exposure to harmful content. Such measures shift responsibility away from the government and technology companies and place the burden on children and families, the Digital Rights Foundation, Search for Justice, Child Rights Movement (Punjab), and Children Advocacy Network (Pakistan)
KARACHI: Experts have raised concerns that negligence in child rearing is seriously affecting the mental development and growth of children, with many showing signs of psychological issues from an early age. Feeding infants with bottles instead of breastfeeding is contributing to infections, while excessive exposure to mobile phones and cartoons is negatively impacting cognitive development. These observations were made by leading paediatricians during the inaugural session of a two-day National Conference on Child Health,
KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has termed unchecked population growth one of Pakistan’s most serious social and economic challenges, stressing the need for sustained, evidence-based family planning policies to secure the country’s future. He was addressing the launch ceremony of Pakistan’s largest and most comprehensive social and behavioural change campaign (SBCC) on family planning at the Hindu Gymkhana, NAPA Auditorium, on January 30. Titled “Waqfa ”, the campaign will be run
ISLAMABAD: Despite the global rise of alternative nicotine products, a 2026 Gallup & Gilani Pakistan poll reveals that awareness of electronic cigarettes and vaping remains remarkably low in Pakistan, with only 17 percent of the adult population having heard of the technology. This lack of familiarity is shaped by significant demographic divides, most notably a sharp 31 point gap between educational tiers; while 43 percent of those with higher education are aware of vaping,
ABBOTTABAD: The Abbottabad Bench of the Peshawar High Court has disposed of a writ petition challenging the election of the Governing Body of Idara Tadreesul Quran orphanage Abbottabad, while issuing an extensive set of binding directives aimed at strengthening oversight, transparency and child welfare standards in orphanages across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa. A division bench comprising Justice Sadiq Ali and Justice Syed Muddasir Ameer heard the petition filed by Ghulam Mustafa Khan Jadoon, who had sought to
LAHORE: Three officials of the contractor working on the project were arrested on January 29 in the wake of the death of a young mother and her minor daughter after their fall into an open manhole of the under-construction Data Darbar extension project. Those arrested for their negligence were identified as project manager Asghar Sindhu, safety in-charge Daniyal and site in-charge Ahmed Nawaz. Lahore Operations SSP Muhammad Tauqir confirmed that the suspects nominated in
TAXILA: A court in Taxila on January 29 sentenced two persons involved in the murder of a newborn baby girl to a combined 34 years of imprisonment along with fines amounting to Rs80,000. According to the verdict, the prime accused Zulfiqar was awarded 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment for murder, five years’ and a fine of Rs10,000 under Section 496-B, and two years’ imprisonment with a fine of Rs30,000 under Sections 109 and 329 of
KARACHI: For the first time in Sindh, a total of Rs18.63 billion has been released to public schools under a “School-Specific Budget” initiative, following an approval by the provincial government. The step has been taken to administratively empower government education institutions by devolving budgetary authority to the school level. Sindh Minister for Education Syed Sardar Ali Shah stated that the funds had already been transferred to schools and emphasised that civil society should also
KOT ADDU: Five school and college students riding two motorcycles were killed in a tragic road accident in Chowk Sarwar Shaheed in Kot Addu on Thursday. Police said the accident occurred on Layyah Road near Man Pump in the tehsil of Chowk Sarwar Shaheed. A speeding trailer, while attempting to overtake, rammed into two motorcycles carrying students. As a result, all five students riding the motorcycles died on the spot. The deceased include 13-year-old
The population of stray dogs in Karachi has been steadily increasing for quite a few years, with no humane plan of action in place to control it. Multiple attacks, injuries and deaths are reported every year, yet the government remains clueless in ensuring both prevention and timely treatment. This year, the first case of rabies was reported in an eight-year-old girl who failed to receive timely treatment and later succumbed to the disease, which has