35-year-old Gul Rukh Bibi still remembers the silence that followed the birth of her eighth child: there were no congratulations, no whispered prayers, no relatives arriving with sweets. Only the quiet certainty that her life was about to change. Her husband had warned her months earlier that another daughter would cost her a marriage. “When the midwife said it was a girl, I closed my eyes,” Gul Rukh recalled, sitting on a woven charpoy
Child Rights in Focus
On the global stage, human statues are performance artists who usually stand motionless at city centres for purposes of arts and entertainment. But this trend, cloaked under the guise of street performance, has been exported to Pakistan and particularly Karachi in borderline abusive conditions. At various junctions across the city, you can spot children acting as statues donned in silver or golden paint in hopes of receiving alms by passing onlookers. These children are
Pakistan has experienced rapid growth in internet access, smartphone usage, and engagement on digital platforms. While this expansion has created new opportunities for communication, employment, and civic participation, it has also been accompanied by a marked rise in online threats, harassment, and technology-facilitated offences. The increasing number of complaints submitted to national authorities reflects a growing public concern about safety in digital spaces, particularly for women and children. As online interactions become more deeply
LODHRAN: A sessions court has awarded the death penalty, life imprisonment and a fine of Rs2.5 million to the accused, Iqbal Arain, in the case of the abduction and rape of a seven-year-old girl, Aliza. The accused had abducted the minor while she was playing outside her home Saddar Police Station, Dunyapur area. A case was registered in 2024 under sections 364, 377 and 376 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of
RAWALPINDI: Due to an acute shortage of government funds, the Government Institute for Slow Learners in Rawalpindi is facing serious difficulties, threatening the education of 120 young girls and boys enrolled at the school. The institute does not have its own government building and operates from rented premises. However, rent payments are not made on time and are paid in instalments, causing repeated disputes with building owners who eventually force the school to vacate.
LAHORE: Punjab’s education sector is set to conclude 2025 as a year marked by ambitious claims, notable gaps and unresolved challenges. While the provincial government repeatedly highlighted reforms, digital initiatives and infrastructure plans, teachers, education experts and parents continued to question the impact on ground and sustainability of the measures. One of the most striking realities of 2025 was the absence of expansion of public school infrastructure, particularly in Lahore, the largest city. Despite
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on December 19 directed that the Autism Centre of Excellence being established in the federal capital be completed within one year instead of two and reaffirmed the government’s resolve to provide world-class education, therapy and vocational facilities to children with special needs. Addressing the foundation-laying ceremony, the prime minister said special children were the children of the nation and that it was the state’s collective responsibility to equip them
RABIES has consistently emerged as a lethal yet overlooked health concern. Reportedly, the scourge took 22 lives in Sindh this year. Figures from three tertiary care hospitals in Karachi reveal an alarming spike in dog-bite incidents, taking the year’s reported tally to over 42,000 cases. The Indus Hospital recorded over 16,000 dog attack cases, while JPMC and CHK saw 12,000 and 13,000 respectively. Every year an estimated 2,000 to 5,000 people succumb to this
RAWALPINDI: Five National Immunisation Days (NIDs) and one Sub-National Immunisation Day (SNID) were successfully conducted in Rawalpindi district this year for polio eradication. All polio campaigns were completed with effective planning, strict monitoring and vigorous field performance. This was stated in a news briefing at Deputy Commissioner offices by Punjab Focal Person for Polio Uzma Kardar and Deputy Commissioner Dr Hassan Waqar Cheema on Friday. A total of 225 union council supervisors, 765 area
KALAYA: Three accused in the murder case of a three-year-old girl were killed when unidentified armed men opened fire on them while being taken to the crime scene during investigation, police officials said on December 18. The officials said that two police personnel were also injured in the attack. They said that the accused, including Zina Gul, Ihsan and Fazal Rehman, were being brought to the crime scene by the investigation team when unidentified
Rawalpindi: The incidences of upper and lower respiratory tract infections particularly among children and elderly people have been on the rise after a significant fall in mercury in the last three to four weeks in this region of the country. Data collected by ‘The News’ has revealed that the majority of the patients visiting the three Rawalpindi Medical College allied hospitals in town and other healthcare facilities have been with the complaints of common
A three-year-old child kidnapped from Karachi was safely recovered from Moro in interior Sindh, while two suspects had been arrested, SSP Malir Abdul Khaliq Pirzada said during a press conference on December 17. According to the SSP, the child, identified as Zain, was abducted from outside his house in Shah Latif Town while he was playing. The kidnappers later demanded a ransom of Rs20 million for his release. SSP Pirzada said a joint operation