• Emission standards critically outdated, committee told • Official says Pak-EPA lacks financial, technical resources to do its job • Senate panel urges Centre to strengthen initiatives for climate-vulnerable Gilgit-Baltistan • Calls for sharing of early-warning data for disaster prevention in northern areas ISLAMABAD / GILGIT: Critical inadequacies in Pakistan’s environmental oversight were highlighted on October 22, after a parliamentary committee heard that emission standards remain frozen at Euro-II levels, a benchmark long-abandoned by
Child Rights in Focus
KARACHI: The unnecessary use of steroid-containing rash creams on children’s delicate skin is triggering serious health risks, including Cushing’s syndrome, immune suppression, and organ damage. Dr Liaqat Ali, Additional MS (OPD Incharge) and pediatrician at Civil Hospital Karachi, told The Express Tribune that rash creams fall into three categories for skin diseases, beauty creams, and creams used on children. He said many mothers, when visiting hospitals for diarrhea complaints, report using steroid creams on
A disturbing incident of corporal punishment surfaced in the Kallar Syedan area of Islamabad, where a teacher at a private school brutally beat a student for not memorising his Quran lesson. After a video of the assault went viral on social media, police launched an investigation, registered a case, and arrested the teacher. According to the police, the case was filed on the complaint of Constable Kamran Yaqoob, who was on security duty in
Islamabad:The provincial governments of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh have pledged to continue reforms on addressing child marriage, birth registration, child protection, gender-based violence (GBV) and social inclusion. The UK’s Aawaz II programme, which started in 2017, has supported pilots such as the Anti-Rape Crisis Cells, District Child Protection Units and Women Protection Centres (WPC) which the provincial governments are now using as models to scale and expand. The innovative digital birth registration model,
ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Health Dr Mukhtar Bharat on October 21 claimed that the government would take all possible steps to devise a policy to improve child nutrition and maternal health. Addressing an awareness seminar on the harms of formula milk, Dr Bharat said formula milk had negative impacts and urged media to play a role in creating public awareness on this important issue. “Formula milk does not contain the same nutrients as
CHINIOT: The district education officer (DEO) suspended from service the headmistress, a teacher and a watchman of the Government Model Primary School, Chah Bootianwala, for allowing a wedding function at the school, where transpersons allegedly performed “obscene” dances. Taking action on a footage of the wedding event surfacing on social media, Elementary Education DEO Ms Khadeeja Bokhari suspended from service Headmistress Muqaddas Iqbal, teacher Samina Batool and watchman Syed Ali Raza. In their suspension
PESHAWAR: Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi has instructed elected representatives and the information department to scale up awareness about preventive measures regarding Dengue Haemorrhagic Fever as the mosquito-borne ailment infected 63 more people, increasing the number of patients in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to 3,792. Officials said that the chief minister issued the order during a meeting. They said that the meeting was attended by Health Secretary Shahidullah Khan, Director-General Health Services Dr Shahid Yunis and
The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency Islamabad, in collaboration with Australian police, Interpol, and other international agencies, has achieved a major breakthrough in its investigation into child exploitation crimes, successfully dismantling an international network involved in the production and distribution of child abuse materials. According to officials, the agency arrested a key suspect and formally filed charges following joint operations codenamed “Roads” and “Iceberg.” These operations were based on intelligence and reports shared by
Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat has enrolled his son in a government school in Kasur, where he studies alongside the children of school staff and teachers, signaling a commitment to public education reforms. Sharing the decision on X, Hayat emphasised the importance of equality in education. The announcement drew praise on social media, with many calling it an initiative of “leading by example”. “I am proud that my son studies alongside the children
Global health officials said polio eradication remains achievable despite a 30% budget cut, pledging to focus resources on high-risk areas and integrated vaccination efforts. The budget of the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), a partnership including the World Health Organisation and the Gates Foundation, will take a 30% cut in 2026 and has a $1.7 billion funding gap up to 2029, the organisation said. The shortfall is largely driven by a global pullback from
KARACHI: An unemployed man, said to be suffering from financial problems, allegedly killed his two daughters in Block-G of North Nazimabad on October 21, police and rescuers said. They added that Akbar Sattar, around 50, killed Aliya, 15, and Zainab, nine, by cutting their necks with a knife at their home in Kausar Niazi Colony. The police arrested the suspect, seized the murder weapon and booked him in a murder case The officials stated
AS temperatures begin to drop, smog makes an unwelcome arrival in many parts of the country, particularly Lahore and urban Punjab. This health and climate crisis has been brewing for some years, while the state — nudged on by civil society and experts — has begun to take steps to combat the smog hazard. South Asian cities have some of the worst air on the planet, and many Pakistani urban centres are included in this unenviable