• Case linked to multimillion-rupee naval farms land scam • Plea alleges officials implicated woman in criminal case ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court has ordered the constitution of a joint investigation team (JIT) to investigate into the alleged abduction of a woman and her three minor children, an episode now linked to a multimillion-rupee Naval Farms land scam recently unearthed by a joint enquiry committee (JEC). Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the IHC issued
Child Rights in Focus
SUKKUR: Three suspects were arrested hours after they allegedly killed their two close relatives over a matrimonial issue and kidnapped a 10-year-old girl in the old area of Kashmore on the night of October 24. Two other relatives were wounded in the shooting. The arrested suspects were identified as Sadhoro, Shahid and Noor Hassan Chachar. SHO Safeer Jagirani told the media that the suspect shot dead their close relatives (uncle) Mashooq Chachar and Riaz
PESHAWAR: Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Secretary, Shahab Ali Shah, chaired a meeting to review the proposed School Meal Program aimed at improving enrollment and retention in primary schools across the province. The meeting was attended by the Secretaries of Elementary and Secondary Education and Finance. A detailed presentation, supported by data from the Allah Walay Trust, highlighted the program’s benefits for children’s education and health. The initiative envisions preparing meals in a central kitchen and distributing
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Unknown assailants on October 24 blew up an under-construction girls primary school with explosives in the suburban village of Gara Budha in Tank district. A police official said that the building, which was in its final stages of completion, sustained severe damage after explosive material, planted under its boundary wall and several classrooms, went off. According to police officials, the bomb disposal unit inspected the site and collected preliminary evidence. Authorities
LAHORE: Participants in a seminar on the importance of breastfeeding termed mother’s milk highly beneficial for the mental and physical health of infants and called for raising awareness about its importance. Punjab University’s Department of Public Health in collaboration with Unicef held an awareness seminar on breastfeeding on October 24. Punjab University Vice Chancellor Prof Dr Muhammad Ali Shah, Department of Public Health In-charge Dr Nauman Ali, Prof Dr Rubina Zakir, Bahauddin Zakariya University
• 65pc forced to work in agri sector, 12.4pc in manufacturing and 10.8pc in wholesale/retail trade • Sindh Child Labour Survey 2023-24 launched KARACHI: As many as 1.3 million children aged between five and 17 are trapped in child labour in Sindh, with 65 percent of them forced to work in the agriculture sector, said the Sindh Child Labour Survey 2023-24. The survey was officially launched on October 24 by the Labor Department in
KARACHI: Seven policemen were suspended after a “teenage boy” died under controversial circumstances in the custody of the Special Investigation Unit (SIU) of police, it emerged on Friday. While the police claimed that Muhammad Irfan died of heart attack, his relatives alleged that he was tortured to death. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn that the body of a man, identified as Irfan, was brought to the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for a post-mortem
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
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