Islamabad: The European Union on Occtober 23 reaffirmed its commitment to supporting Pakistan’s efforts to safeguard children’s rights and well-being. During a meeting here, newly-appointed Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis and chairperson of the National Commission on the Rights of Child Ayesha Raza Farooq discussed ongoing cooperation to strengthen child protection mechanisms in the country. Ambassador Karoblis commended NCRC’s extensive work and noted the EU’s continued support through UNDP under
Child Rights in Focus
SHEHLA completed her Master’s degree in economics last year and started teaching at a private school in her neighbourhood. She feels she will not be staying in the job for long. Her salary is only Rs20,000 per month. She thinks she will be married soon and might not work afterwards. Or if she has to work, she will look for a job that pays better. Low- to medium-fee private schools, which constitute the overwhelming
The Board of Secondary Education Karachi is facing criticism for its “outdated and unprofessional practices” following the release of Class IX results for the Science and General groups. Over 175,000 students are left in a state of confusion and distress, as BSEK has failed to provide detailed mark sheets, leaving them unaware of their actual scores. The results, announced last week, only indicated whether students passed or failed in individual subjects, without providing subject-wise or
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is preparing to launch its first-ever National Vaccine Policy to kickstart local vaccine manufacturing and reduce its 95 percent reliance on imported vaccines. Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan announced this while chairing a high-level meeting on October 23. The meeting of the Prime Minister’s Committee on Incentivizing Local Manufacturing of Vaccines, held at the Ministry of National Health Services, discussed policy formulation, existing hurdles,
Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Asif Haider Shah on October 23 chaired an emergency meeting at his office to review the province’s dengue situation and directed concerned departments to take immediate preventive and control measures against the rising number of cases. Officials said the meeting was attended by the commissioner Karachi, secretary local government, director general health services, all divisional commissioners, and senior health officials. According to a briefing presented by the directorate general health
KARACHI: Sindh Health and Population Welfare Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho chaired the first provincial steering committee meeting to review the arrangements for an upcoming measles-rubella vaccination campaign starting next month. The province-wide drive, targeting over 8.2 million children, is scheduled to run from Nov 17 to 29. A total of 6,000 teams are expected to take part in the campaign, during which children in selected districts will also receive oral polio drops. During
FOR more than three decades, Pakistan has fought poliovirus with collective determination, reducing cases by 99.6 per cent. Despite concerted efforts, poliovirus has survived in two countries, posing persistent risk to the health and lives of vulnerable children in Pakistan and Afghanistan. As we commemorate World Polio Day 2025, Pakistan stands at the threshold of history, with a pivotal opportunity to eradicate it completely. Through the coordinated hard work of the government, partners, and
KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on October 22 remanded a man in police custody in a case pertaining to the alleged murder of his two daughters in Block-G of North Nazimabad. The investigating officer (IO) produced the suspect, Akbar Sattar, before Judicial Magistrate (Central) Bhudo Khan Bhatti and sought his physical remand for further interrogation. During the hearing, the IO informed the court that the suspect had allegedly slit the throats of his two daughters
TOBA TEK SINGH: Kabirwala Additional District and Sessions Judge Sajjad Hussain Khan Baloch on October 22, handed down the death sentence and a fine of Rs2 million to a young man on four counts in a murder case. According to the prosecution, convict Muhammad Abbas (21) of Basti Loharan Wali in the Kabirwala Saddar police area on June 21 went to the farmland outside the locality, where he shot and killed three of his
• 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
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