RAWALPINDI: The body of a seven-year-old who had been missing after falling into an open sewage drain and being swept away in the Westridge area on June 17 was discovered floating on the water surface of Leh Nullah, Gawal Mandi about some seven kilometers from his home, on the afternoon of June 19. He was Muhammad Farooq, a resident of Gawal Mandi, who called 15 emergency and Rescue 1122 after his brother spotted the body floating
Child Rights in Focus
ISLAMABAD: More than 8.6 million children in Pakistan are engaged in child labour, including over 6.6 million involved in hazardous work that threatens their health, safety and development, according to a national report launched on Thursday by the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) in collaboration with UNICEF. Titled ‘Pakistan: Child Labour Surveys, Evidence for Action’, the report provides the first nationally representative child labour dataset in nearly three decades, offering a comprehensive assessment
LAHORE: Speakers at a symposium here have highlighted the shortcomings in the education system in the country that are creating hurdles to religious freedom and equality. The symposium on “advancing religious freedom through education and exploring the emerging challenges, opportunities, and responses” was held at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on June 18. Veteran educationist Neelam Hussain said when she grew up and was in school, there were no stark differences among
BANNU: The district administration and health department have launched a joint investigation into the “mysterious” deaths of five children of a family in Takhtikhel area of Bakakhel tehsil here. The children had died at their house three weeks ago, while three others reported serious health issues. On the directives of Bannu deputy commissioner Mohammad Faheem, district health officer Dr Zafar Iqbal Wazir has constituted a special medical board, comprising senior physicians, to examine all
Karachi and Lahore are often pitted against each other as major urban cities with drastically different levels of development, be it in infrastructure, healthcare or security. While Karachi suffers from an ordained fate of broken roads and broken administrative promises, Lahore seems to be progressing full speed ahead. Although, there is at least one grave negligence tragically shared by both cities – open manholes that have swallowed one too many innocent children. After the
BAHAWALPUR: The Bahawal Victoria Hospital (BVH) administration has suspended five doctors from service for their alleged negligence, after an arm of a newborn was allegedly fractured during delivery at the hospital. According to BVH administration’s announcement, the action has been taken against the five medics when a newborn’s arm was found fractured following the delivery at the hospital. Those suspended from service include three women doctors, a senior registrar and two post-graduate trainees. The
KARACHI: The Sindh government has earmarked more than Rs148 billion for hospitals, specialised medical institutions and emergency health services in the 2026-27 budget. The funding package focuses on expanding access to quality treatment, upgrading critical care facilities and enhancing emergency response systems amid growing healthcare demands across the province. According to budget documents, grants totaling Rs148.17 billion have been allocated to major healthcare institutions and medical centres. The budget of the Sindh Institute of
KARACHI: The Sindh government has allocated Rs620 billion for the education sector in the fiscal year 2026-27, covering both development and non-development expenditures for primary and higher education. According to the budget documents, an additional Rs24.75 billion has been earmarked for ongoing education schemes, taking the total allocation for these programmes to Rs58.14 billion, up from Rs33.39 billion in the previous financial year. The ongoing initiatives in the school education sector include the provision
UNITED NATIONS: More than one billion children face at least three overlapping climate hazards, with 34 million in Pakistan, UNICEF warned Monday, while highlighting the disproportionate impact in some regions of the world. For the report, the UN agency cross-referenced data showing where the roughly 2.4 billion children on the planet live with the geographic distribution of the eight most common climate impacts. They are coastal flooding, river flooding, drought, tropical storms, heat waves
A five-year-old boy died after falling into an uncovered manhole in Lahore’s Sundar area on Tuesday, officials said. The victim, identified as Hassan Amir, was playing in a street near Rana Town, behind a mosque, when he accidentally fell into a drainage pit, according to police and the child’s father. Residents rushed to the scene and managed to pull the child out before shifting him to the hospital. However, doctors could not save his
KARACHI: A fresh surge in measles cases has taken a dangerous turn in Sindh, with more than 2,000 children infected so far this year and 53 losing their lives due to complications. Speaking to The Express Tribune, paediatrician Dr Khalid Shafi said that the nationwide death toll from measles has reached 96. Across Pakistan, over 20,000 suspected cases have been reported this year, of which more than 7,000 have been laboratory-confirmed. According to official
During the fiscal year 2025-26, Pakistan’s economy demonstrated significant resilience and restored macroeconomic stability, achieving a provisional GDP growth rate of 3.70 percent compared to 3.18 percent the previous year. This positive trajectory was driven by a robust recovery across all major economic sectors, with agriculture expanding by 2.89 percent despite the challenges of the 2025 monsoon floods, the industrial sector growing by 3.51 percent on the back of a sharp 6.11 percent rebound