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
Child Rights in Focus
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
RAWALPINDI: Additional District and Sessions Judge Afshan Ejaz Soofi sentenced a father, Usman Anwar, to death twice after convicting him of murdering his two minor daughters in a high-profile domestic dispute case registered at RA Bazaar Police Station. The court ruled that the convict committed an extremely serious crime by killing his daughters, stating that the sanctity of paternal affection was shattered and that he did not deserve any leniency. The judge ordered that
LAHORE: A student died of a head injury after a scuffle broke out between students of a private academy in Harbanspura here on December 18. A police official said the incident took place at night when students of the 9th and 10th classes had a scuffle over some petty issue. He said they thrashed each other and one of them used an iron rod during the scuffle. As a result, a class IX student
KARACHI: Citizens across the province are paying a heavy price on account of government’s failure to control dog population, families of rabies-affected people said while speaking to Dawn. They deplored that the departments concerned failed to ensure provision of healthcare facilities and life-saving medicines, besides training healthcare providers in the management of dog-bite cases. According to sources, persistent official failure at various levels has claimed the lives of at least 22 people, about half of
PESHAWAR/CHARSADDA: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mohammad Sohail Afridi on December 17 said it was the government’s both constitutional and moral responsibility to ensure child care and protection, so he won’t tolerate any negligence in that respect. “In line with the vision of [PTI founder] Imran Khan, the concept of a welfare state is being practically implemented in our province, where the state assumes responsibility for the care and protection of vulnerable and marginalised segments
SAHIWAL: District police claimed on December 16 to have arrested a woman allegedly involved in the kidnapping of an eight-month-old baby girl from Hamid Town, Village 90/9-L, on Dec 11 and recovered the infant. Police investigators identified the suspects as Nazia and her daughter Ayesha, who abducted the child while her mother was alone at home. District Police Officer (DPO) Usman Tipu told the media that Ayesha was arrested along with the baby from