DEVASTATING floods are now an annual emergency in Pakistan. Climate change is hitting hard, manifesting in new weather patterns including cloudbursts. Sudden torrential rainfall, which continues relentlessly, can literally move mountains. This phenomenon was observed in many places in the northern parts of the country. The gushing water sweeps away boulders, trees, soil and everything else in its way, including houses, vehicles and livestock. Witnessing the aftermath of one such cataclysmic event in Qadir Nagar in Buner was
Child Rights in Focus
KARACHI: A federal sensitive agency has raised alarm over the growing trend of drug use among students across Sindh’s educational institutions, urging the provincial government to take immediate and strict measures to curb the menace before it escalates into a long-term national crisis. According to sources, the agency has written a confidential letter to the Sindh chief secretary, cautioning that narcotics use is spreading at an alarming rate, particularly in schools, colleges, and universities.
Nearly 685 newborns die in Pakistan every day, adding up to more than 250,000 deaths annually. However, a majority of such infants can be saved through simple measures such as newborn resuscitation, breastfeeding and kangaroo mother care. This was stated by experts speaking at a seminar on accelerating newborn survival and care. They warned that Pakistan’s neonatal mortality crisis had reached an alarming level and urged the government to act with urgency. The two-day
A judicial magistrate on September 17 extended police remand of a suspected serial rapist paedophile by three days in cases pertaining to sexual abuse of minor girls. Shabbir Ahmed, a fruit vendor, has been booked in seven cases lodged under charges of assaulting minor girls and child pornogrpahy. He was arrested on September 11 by the Defence police in Qayyumabad. The investigating officer produced the suspect before Judicial Magistrate (South) Mir Sagar Khan on
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has said that his government remains steadfastly supportive of farmers affected by floods while also reaffirming his administration’s dedication to restoring law and order and encouraging social inclusion for differently-abled persons. Speaking to the media on Wednesday after inaugurating the Centre of Excellence for Disability Inclusion (CEDI) in Koarngi, the CM recalled that Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari had called for the declaration of
LAHORE:The Punjab government will soon launch a comprehensive damage assessment survey across 28 flood-hit districts of the province. The decision was taken during a meeting chaired by Chief Secretary Zahid Akhtar Zaman at the Civil Secretariat on Wednesday. The meeting reviewed the province’s ongoing relief and rehabilitation efforts and assessed the readiness of local administrations for the effective distribution of aid, restoration of damaged infrastructure, and deployment of health services in affected areas. The
SUKKUR: Four children were wounded when a big chunk of plaster from the ceiling of a classroom in a primary school fell on them near Khanpur Mahar taluka, Ghotki district, on September 17. According to details, a portion of the ceiling of a classroom in the Ahmedabad Primary School fell on four boys identified as Abdul Qadeer, Nisar Ahmed, Shahid, and Faisal Gadani. And injured them. Villagers said the wounded children were rushed to
KARACHI: Speakers at a programme held on September 17 at the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) underscored the need for collective efforts — by families, medical experts and communities at large — to ensure patient safety at levels of care. The event was held in connection with World Patient Safety Day 2025 at SIUT Mariyam Bashir Dawood Children Hospital. This year, the day is dedicated to ensuring safe care for every newborn
LAHORE: A sessions court has awarded life imprisonment to two men, along with a fine, on charges of sexually assaulting a mentally-challenged minor girl. Additional District & Sessions Judge Mansoor Ahmad Qureshi, announcing the verdict, also imposed a Rs30,000 fine each on both convicts – Gulfam Ali and Arsalan alias Bholi. Manawan police had registered the case in 2022 under section 375-A of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) against the accused persons. Assistant Deputy
KHANEWAL: A four-year-old girl was allegedly sexually assaulted in an incident reported in Khanewal’s suburban area of 67/15-L Vejhianwala on September 17. According to initial reports, the girl had gone to a nearby shop around noon to buy items. When she returned home crying, her father noticed she was in pain and asked his wife to check. The mother discovered bleeding and rushed the child to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, Mian Channu, where she fainted.
TIMERGARA: Eleven years have passed since the Government Primary School Koheri Bala in Lower Dir was destroyed by an earthquake but children have been forced to study in the open, jeopardizing their future. The earthquake, measuring 7.5 on Richter’s magnitude scale, hit northern Afghanistan and Pakistan in October 2015, leaving hundreds of people dead. The government had declared the school building unsafe for use. Later, the damaged building was razed to the ground with
KARACHI: The post-mortem of an 11-year-old girl found dead in Surjani Town has confirmed that she was subjected to sexual assault before being murdered, according to the police surgeon. The post-mortem, conducted by Police Surgeon Dr Sumaiya, found that the victim was strangled with a rope or similar object. While Dr Sumaiya verbally informed police of strangulation, PS Surjani Town stated that a written report is awaited. The police surgeon’s verbal confirmation did not