ABBOTTABAD: The police recovered a baby boy, who was abducted from the Women and Children Hospital here, and arrested four suspects on Wednesday. District police officer Haroon Rasheed told a crowded press conference that a team led by SP Cantonment Ali Hamza Butt recovered the 17-day-old baby and arrested four suspects. He said Siraj, a resident of Jhangi Syedan, had lodged a complaint with the cantonment police on June 23, stating that an unidentified
Child Rights in Focus
RAWALPINDI: The city traffic police in Rawalpindi and Murree have started issuing driving permits to teenagers aged 16 to 18 as part of the Punjab government’s initiative of issuing ‘Juvenile Driving Permits’ to facilitate youth. Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Rawalpindi Farhan Aslam said the traffic police have begun issuing juvenile driving permits to girls and boys aged 16 with their parents’ consent. He said that the juvenile driving permit will be for driving motorcycles
SARGODHA: A seven-year-old girl was found murdered following an alleged attempted assault in Sargodha. The young girl, a resident of Block 8, had stepped out of her home to buy sugar from a nearby grocery store just a few paces away. She never returned. Hours later, her blood-soaked body was discovered in a room above the very shop she had visited. The family members said Minahil’s mother was preparing tea at home and had
Published in June 2026 by UNICEF and the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) Pakistan, this synthesis report consolidates the findings of household-based Child Labour Surveys (CLS) conducted across Pakistan’s four provinces and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) between 2019 and 2024. Utilizing the internationally recognized SIMPOC methodology on a combined sample of nearly 200,000 households and over 500,000 children aged 5–17, the report estimates that approximately 9.77 million children are working in Pakistan,
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court has dismissed a bail application of an accused in a case pertaining to rape of his minor daughter. A single-judge bench of the SHC headed by Justice Omar Sial observed that around 10-year-old victim had appeared at the trial, narrated the ordeal and her testimony carried an air of authenticity and did not appear to be tutored or coached in any manner. The applicant has been charged with allegedly
TOBA TEK SINGH: Three minor girls drowned when their mother allegedly tried to die by suicide along with her daughters by jumping into the river Jhelum in Jhang district on June 20. Rescue 1122 officials said that Tahira Yasmin of Mouza Chatta jumped into the river Jhelum near Mariwala Pattan on Sargodha Road along with her daughters Sanam (10), Sadaf (7) and Mariyam (3). Locals rescued the woman but they could not rescue the
KARACHI: Sharing serious concern over the increasing number of HIV cases in the country, particularly in Sindh and Punjab, speakers at a seminar held on June 20 called upon the government to increase domestic financing for HIV prevention, testing, treatment and care services to reduce dependence on external donors and ensure sustainability of the national HIV response. They also emphasised the need for enforcing infection control protocols in healthcare settings and scaling up HIV
ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) and Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad (MCI) have made the birth and death registration system in Islamabad online. As a result, citizens can now register births and deaths and obtain certificates from their homes without visiting the MCI and union council offices. Chief Commissioner Islamabad and CDA Chairman Sohail Ashraf inaugurated the facility. During a briefing on the occasion, officials said the service was being provided on the Pak ID
Pakistan is confronting a serious but largely overlooked public health challenge, with thousands of children born every year with cleft lips and palates. Although the condition is treatable, many patients remain without timely care due to gaps in the healthcare system. Experts estimate that nearly 300,000 children are affected nationwide, placing Pakistan among the highest-burden countries globally after China, India, and Indonesia. From Karachi to Lahore and Peshawar, parents, surgeons, and healthcare workers describe
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has ordered all inspectors general of police (IGPs) to devise and implement effective mechanisms for the protection of girls attending schools, colleges, and universities, particularly regarding complaints of harassment, stalking, and other offences. In an 18-page judgment authored by Justice Salahuddin Panhwar while hearing an appeal against a death sentence awarded to a sweeper for raping a 10-year-old schoolgirl, the court emphasized that such complaints must be treated seriously, investigated
Karachi is witnessing a steady rise in dog-bite cases amid an expanding and largely unregulated stray dog population, placing increasing pressure on major public hospitals as thousands of residents seek treatment across the city. Most cases are reported from Baldia, Lyari, Liaquatabad, Surjani, Korangi, Orangi Town, Azizabad, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, PIB Colony, Jahangir Road, Malir, Saudabad, Shah Faisal Colony, Usmania Colony and other localities. Citizens complain that dog-bite incidents continue to increase because of inadequate measures
QUETTA: A local court has sentenced the father and maternal uncle of 14-year-old American-Pakistani girl Hira to life imprisonment after convicting them of her murder, a case that has ignited nationwide debate over honour killings and the safety of young female content creators in Pakistan. Additional District and Sessions Judge-X delivered the verdict on Saturday, finding Anwarul Haq Rajput and Muhammad Tayyab Bhatti guilty of the crime. The court also imposed a fine of