ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Federal Education and Professional Training Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on September 30 said the absence of a standardised Pakistan Sign Language (PSL) has long limited access to education, employment, justice and public services for special persons. Addressing the National Consultation on the Standardisation of PSL, he said the consultation laid the foundation for a national framework that will enable unified curriculum development and interpreter certification, ensure consistent use across schools,
Child Rights in Focus
WASHINGTON: The US State Department’s Trafficking in Persons (TIP) Report 2025 has placed both Pakistan and India among the countries that do not fully meet minimum standards for eliminating trafficking but are making “significant efforts” to do so. The annual report, released in Washington, reviews efforts by governments worldwide to combat human trafficking, which the State Department defines as modern-day slavery involving forced labour, sexual exploitation, and other forms of coercion. The report identifies Pakistan
The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has invited online scholarship applications for students from minority communities enrolled in government institutions, with the submission deadline set for October 28. Eligible applicants must be Hindu, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, or from other minority communities, enrolled as regular students in government institutions from primary to professional college level. Students must have scored at least 50 percent marks in their last annual exam, and their parents or
ISLAMABAD: Two new cases of poliovirus have been confirmed in Sindh’s Badin and Thatta districts, bringing the nationwide tally for 2025 to 29 and the provincial total to nine, according to the National Institute of Health (NIH) on September 29. The development comes only days after another case was reported in Sindh’s Hyderabad district. According to an NIH statement: “With these two cases, both girls, the total number of polio cases in Pakistan in
RAWALPINDI: The sessions court sentenced the perpetrator of forcibly raping a mute minor girl to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs 100,000. After the sentences, the criminal was transferred to Adiala Jail. Additional District and Sessions Judge Rawalpindi sentenced the perpetrator Mansoor Waheed, who kidnapped and raped a mute minor girl from Kallar Syedan police station to life imprisonment and a fine of Rs100,000. The culprit was transferred to Adiala Jail after the
LOWER DIR: An additional sessions judge in Samarbagh on Monday convicted a man in a high-profile child rape and murder case, sentencing him to double life imprisonment, and slapping him with fines on multiple charges. Judge Ijaz Younas found Neuz Ali, a resident of Bannu, and currently residing in Khazana area, guilty of raping and murdering a six-year-old girl in January last year. The FIR of the case was registered at Munda police station
RAWALPINDI: A teenage boy was murdered after allegedly being sexually abused in Fauji Colony area of Pirwadhai on September 29. A sharp-edged weapon was apparently used to kill the boy. The deceased’s father alleged that the killer murdered his son in order to cover up his sexual abuse of him. Mohammad Yunas Khan lodged an FIR with the police stating that his 15-year-old son was a madressah student and living with his aunt. He
SAHIWAL: The additional district and sessions judge (ADSJ) and presiding officer of the Child Protection Court, Sahiwal, has directed the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) to hand over custody of 17 minor children to their parents/guardians following due verification and recognition of the petitioners by the child. The judge further instructed that custody be granted if the child’s identification satisfies the court, and proceedings should continue in accordance with the law. This order
ISLAMABAD: The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) has, through its nutrition initiative, reduced child stunting by 6.4 percent in target populations, according to a report. According to a midterm independent evaluation by the Aga Khan University (AKU)’s Institute for Global Health and Development, stunting among children under five declined by 6.4 per cent among Nashonuma beneficiaries compared to non-beneficiaries. The prevalence of low birth weight decreased by 5.6 percent in intervention districts. Most notably,
GUJRAT: Police have reportedly detained both nominated suspects– a teacher and his son– who allegedly tortured a five-year-old student to death at a seminary at Karariwala Kalan village in Kharian Saddar police precincts. The suspects — a seminary teacher, Hafiz Qari Arfan of Miana Gondal village of Mandi Bahauddin and his son Fayaz — had allegedly subjected the minor, Eesa, to a severe physical torture with sticks and kicks, resulting in the boy’s death
PESHAWAR: The number of children remaining unvaccinated due to parental refusal has come down in the recent immunisation drive compared to the previous campaign, data shows. The five-day vaccination effort in May conducted by Emergency Operation Centre, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, recorded 17,136 children without getting oral polio vaccine (OPV), mostly due to parents’ reluctance due to misconception that the drops were not allowed in Islam or on the pretext that those were designed by western countries to
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought a detailed report from the Private Educational Institutions Regulatory Authority (Peira) on whether elite private schools in the capital are complying with their statutory obligation to provide free education to underprivileged children. The court issued the directive during the hearing of a petition highlighting non-implementation of the Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2012. Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas asked Peira to file a comprehensive