With no diagnosis & non-existent support, Pakistanis with autism remain misunderstood LAHORE/PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD: In Pakistan, autism is perhaps the most misunderstood neurological condition. While some people term it a “disease” others see it as an attack of “supernatural forces”. In both the cases, the autistic child or adult is
Poets and children have one thing in common; a sense of wonder. Albert Einstein would protest; don’t exclude the scientists. Their intuitive capability is an undying source of wonder that keeps them going in their pursuit of knowing what seems to be unknowable. With age this sense loosens
KARACHI: The longstanding plans to introduce free meals in public schools of Sindh had remained a virtual pipe dream until now. However, students at Allama Iqbal Government Boys and Girls Primary and Secondary School, situated at the junction of Sohrab Goth and Federal B Area, have started receiving
It is both sad and embarrassing that on the very day the Prime Minister launched the year’s first nationwide polio campaign, a police constable on duty was shot dead in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Jamrud town. This was supposed to mark a renewed effort to eradicate a crippling disease, but instead,
BEING one of the two countries — out of 194 member states of the World Health Organisation — that have not been able to eradicate polio is a persistent national embarrassment; 192 countries have managed to get rid of the virus, which cripples children for life. These include
WHEN a country’s children go hungry, its future withers. In Pakistan, where over 40pc of children under five are stunted, nearly 18pc are wasted, and more than half suffer from anaemia, malnutrition threatens to undermine a generation. For a middle-income country with nuclear capabilities and significant agricultural output,
WHY is this country so against its own children and its own future? Are you surprised by this question? Look at some of the statistics and facts below and see if the question is still surprising. Some 40 percent of our children are said to be malnourished, that
CHILDREN constitute around 45 percent of the Pakistani population, with 22.7pc adolescents from 10 to 19 years. Along with their educational, safety and physical health needs, there is also an urgent need to prevent and respond to their mental health challenges. The WHO estimates that 15pc of the
THE campaign to eradicate polio from Pakistan cannot succeed unless the safety of vaccinators and security personnel on the front lines of this battle is guaranteed. According to one count, over 200 polio workers and police personnel have been martyred in the field since the 1990s. The latest
WHETHER schools are open or closed, it is not going to have much of an impact on smog levels across Punjab. The decision about closing schools has more to do with some notion that children will be less exposed to the smog if they stay at home than
LAHORE. Despite a billion-rupee budget, schools across the province have no clean bathrooms or drinking water available for students For students spending nearly six to seven hours away from home each day, the school premises become almost like a second home. Yet for the hapless students stuck in
WITH polio cases in Pakistan rising sharply in recent weeks, the government has unveiled the National Emergency Action Plan for Polio 2024-25. The country has already reported 39 cases this year, compared to just six in 2023. The spike has raised concerns about our ability to eradicate the