The National Emergency Operations Centre has announced that 45.4 million children will receive polio drops during the upcoming weekly polio campaign. In addition to the polio vaccine, children will also be administered a supplementary dose of Vitamin A. The national polio campaign is scheduled to run across the country from October 13 to 19. More than 400,000 health workers will go door-to-door to ensure children are vaccinated against polio, according to the National Emergency
Child Rights in Focus
LAHORE: This was disclosed in a meeting on special education presided over by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. She announced that underprivileged children would receive free therapy and education in the Maryam Nawaz Autism School. The chief minister approved in principle the inclusion of special children in the ‘Himmat’ Card programme. According to a statement, the Punjab government has decided to engage world-class autism experts to enhance the quality of education and therapy services. Approval
KHANEWAL: A matric student was shot dead by his classmate at high school. According to police sources, the accused, identified as Zain, allegedly opened fire on his class fellow Rizwan, belonging to the Lodhran community and resident of Sarai Sidhu. The incident occurred around 11 a.m. when Zain reportedly fired at Rizwan with a 30-bore pistol, leaving him critically injured. Upon receiving the report, SDPO Kabirwala and local police teams reached the scene. The
The report examines Forced Conversion through Marriage (FCM) in Pakistan, revealing how minor girls and women from Religious Minority Communities face coercion rooted in patriarchy, discrimination, and weak legal enforcement. It highlights the blurred lines between force and consent, showing how psychological, social, and economic pressures drive manipulation. The findings urge comprehensive reforms, stronger protections, and community empowerment to curb this human rights violation. For detailed analysis and policy recommendations, read the full report:
ISLAMABAD: On October 9, Health officials warned that Karachi has surpassed southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as Pakistan’s most potent source of exported poliovirus, urging parents to protect their children from lifelong paralysis by participating in the imminent vaccination drive. “Karachi is the most potent exporter of poliovirus in the country and a trouble spot, even more than southern KP, from where 16 out of 18 cases were reported,” said the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for
KARACHI: A polio worker was killed in a suspected targeted attack on the Superhighway on October 9. Site Superhighway Industrial Area SHO Wilayat Shah told Dawn that Rehmanullah, 30, was on his way to Surjani Town on a motorcycle when unknown suspect(s) opened fire near Jamia-tur Rasheed. He sustained critical bullet wounds and was taken to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival. The motive could not be ascertained immediately, he said,
QUETTA/GWADAR: The Balochistan government has declared a water emergency in Gwadar and suspended all taxes related to water supply to resolve the issue of serious water shortage the coastal district. A decision to this effect was taken after a massive protest demonstration was staged by residents of Gwadar. The water crisis has been growing with each passing day in Gwadar due to what the people say lethargy of elected representatives and officials concerned who
SARGODHA: A woman was arrested from a school for allegedly trying to kidnap two students and spraying poisonous gas on the children and teachers present in the school. According to the complaint filed by Sheikhanwala Primary School, in Bhakkar’s Darya Khan tehsil, headmistress Sundas Zahra alleged that a woman, later identified as Azra Manzoor, entered the school and asked the teacher to handover two children, Meenal and Farheen. However, she claimed that on the
ISLAMABAD: Secretary of the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training Nadeem Mahbub asked the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) to share its software system with all the provincial Boards and to arrange training sessions for teachers to strengthen assessment practices and capacity at the provincial level. He issued directions during a meeting of the FBISE called to review the examination reforms and restructuring initiatives undertaken by the board. The secretary
ISLAMABAD: Climate shocks, soaring food prices, and chronic underinvestment in nutrition and health have pushed Pakistan deeper into a hunger crisis, the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2025 warns, placing the country among those still facing “serious” levels of hunger despite more than two decades of national and global pledges to end malnutrition. Ranked 106th out of 123 countries, Pakistan’s GHI score at 26.0, slightly worse than 25.4 in 2016, shows that the country has
KARACHI: Sindh faces a mounting women’s health crisis, with an estimated 400,000 to 500,000 abortions taking place annually — many of them unsafe, unregulated, and life-threatening. This alarming figure, combined with widespread malnutrition and anemia, is placing countless women at risk, medical experts warn. Speaking to The Express Tribune, Dr Mehwish Mubarak Ali, Deputy Director (Clinics Section) of the Sindh Population Welfare Department, revealed the gravity of the situation. “In terms of blood loss, a
FAISALABAD: Two minor boys were allegedly sexually assaulted in separate incidents in the city on October 9, as the number of sexual assaults against women and children has reached 538 across Faisalabad’s five town divisions, involving approximately 800 accused. The breakdown shows 115 cases in Sadr Division, 126 in Iqbal Division, 120 in Jaranwala Division, 125 in Madina Town Division, and 52 in Lyalpur Town Division. As per the police reports, one case was