Father to a seven-day-old daughter, Shahzaib Khan murdered his newborn in Mianwali on Sunday because he wished for a son.
Shahzaib Khan and Mashal Fatima tied the knot two years ago. A week earlier, the couple welcomed their daughter who was named Jannat.
On Sunday, the husband entered the house aggressively and snatched the baby girl from her mother’s arms. He shot her four times and escaped from the house. The daughter was immediately taken to a hospital but unfortunately, doctors pronounced her dead.
According to autopsy reports, four bullets were found in her deceased body. The father’s cousin Hidayatullah filed the First Investigation Report (FIR) in a police station.
According to Hidayatullah, Shahzaib Khan was disturbed when he become a father of a daughter.
“He stayed out of the house ever since she was brought back home and refused to accept her,” Hidayatullah said.
Punjab Inspector General of Police Rao Sardar Ali Khan also took notice of the incident. He assured that violence against women and children will not be tolerated.
Among developing countries, Pakistan has one of the highest prevalences of child malnutrition in South Asia. According to the National Nutrition Survey, 2018, 40.2 per cent of children under five are stunted, while 17.7 per cent are wasted. Children are commonly deficient in vitamin A, vitamin D, zinc, and folic acid. Alarmingly, 49.1 per cent of children between the ages of six months and 5 years suffer from iron deficiency. A similar survey in 2011 showcased 43.8 per cent of children to be anemic or iron deficient. It goes to show that in the seven years since the research, nothing was done to address this problem in Pakistan.
The iron requirement of a child’s body is usually higher for the initial two years when growth is rapid. This is the time when the human body consumes the highest amount of iron. Therefore, any depletion of iron at this stage could result in growth retardation, resulting in impaired cognitive and physical activity. In extreme cases, it even leads to early death. Moreover, children or adults deficient in iron feel tired, lethargic, and fatigued most of the time, which interferes with their daily routine, resulting in a social cost visible in terms of loss of productivity and poor academic performance. In short, in the longer run, iron deficiency or anemia could adversely affect a country’s GDP due to dysfunctional human resources.
Deficiency of iron is a condition in which an individual’s blood suffers from a lack of sufficient red blood cells. The role of red blood cells is critical in transporting oxygen to the body tissue.
Apart from children, women, and adolescents of childbearing age are highly vulnerable to premature deaths due to iron deficiency. Moreover, the micronutrient deficiency in women is the most significant cause of complicated pregnancies and the birth of malnourished children later in life.
Since iron deficiency could cause a country billions of dollars of economic loss, it was natural that political parties would include the challenge of malnutrition in their manifestos. However, unfortunately, not much has been done in this area. To begin with, two things are of critical importance to bridging the iron gap. One is imparting education to adults about an infant’s diet, which should include iron-rich items like apples, egg yolks, spinach, and cereals. The second is to fortify milk and cereal products with iron for children up to three years. Iron-fortified milk at the right age is extremely important for supplying required iron to the human body.
There are other means through which the nutritional value of food can be enhanced. For example, the field of iron fortification has experienced stupendous growth to address iron deficiency without compromising on the taste of the food and beverages. Referred to as ‘iron-plus’, these improved iron sources have increased the absorption of iron in the human body by three times. The latest ‘Global Fortification Data Exchange’ data, figures food fortification intervention has shown positive results in most countries.
Countries like Pakistan can take advantage of this scientific research to eradicate iron deficiency and malnutrition. A Diet analysis conducted in 2016 revealed that 67.6 per cent of households in Pakistan were hard put to eat a nutritious diet with their current food budget. Therefore, a joint initiative by the government, food industry, and citizens is required to bring up a healthy generation.
Ahmad Nawaz, a survivor of the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar attack, has secured the position of the President of “Oxford Union”, a famous debating society at Oxford University, one of the most prestigious universities in the world. The society was founded in 1823.
He shared the announcement on his Twitter handle saying, “I am so extremely proud to announce that I have been Elected President of the @OxfordUnion. One of the world’s biggest & historical platforms!.”
I am so extremely grateful to my parents who have been so incredibly supportive of everything! My friends who have been with me throughout this journey. And finally my team, who have worked so exceptionally hard to make this truly historical moment happen! Thank you ❤️
At the age of 14, he was shot in the arm in the massacre, and his brother, Haris was martyred in the APS attack. After hospitalisation for several days in Peshawar, he was taken to Birmingham for emergency surgery to save his arm.
He is also a human rights activist to empower youth and ensure access to education for deprived children.
Nobel Laureate and Women’s Education Rights Activist Malala Yousafzai, in a recent essay, Please stop telling us how to dress, has talked about the criticism and pressure women have to face on the choice of their dressing.
Malala, sharing some text from her essay on her Instagram, wrote: “Years ago I spoke against the Taliban forcing women in my community to wear burqas – and last month I spoke against Indian authorities forcing girls to remove their hijabs at school. These aren’t contradictions – both cases involve objectifying women. If someone forces me to cover my head, I will protest. If someone forces me to remove my scarf, I will protest.”
“Whether a woman chooses a burqa or a bikini, she has the right to decide for herself. Come and talk to us about individual freedom and autonomy, about preventing harm and violence, about education and emancipation. Do not come with your wardrobe notes,” she added.
“Someday I might make changes to my wardrobe. I also might not. But exploring and understanding clothing will remain part of my life, as will defending every woman’s right to determine what she wears. I love my patterned, floral shalwar kameez. I love my jeans too. And I am proud of my scarves,” she wrote while concluding her essay.
A man in Karachi fought back against robbers near Qalandria Chowk area of Nazimabad and killed one of the robbers on Thursday, reports Samaa News.
According to the eye-witnesses, three robbers came on two motorcycles to loot a man. However, he took his licensed gun out and opened fire at them. One robber was killed and another was wounded. The third robber managed to escape from the scene.
Police reached the site and recovered the gun from the scene. Police have sent the weapon for forensic analysis to find if it was used in another crime scene.
The video went viral on social media, in which the wounded and dead robbers can be seen surrounded by people.
Street crimes have been increasing in Karachi since January this year in which at least 18 people had lost their lives. Recently, journalist Athar Mateen was also killed while preventing a robbery attempt.
Pulse Consultant has launched a series of statistical information about Pakistani women with the name of “Pink Pakistan”. As per the first part of the report, 98.4 per cent of women over the age of 10 are not active economically.
The report also revealed that every second woman in Pakistan is literate.
#LiteracyRateEvery 2nd women in Pakistan is literate
It seems that #Sindh_Urban women have highest literacy rate, followed by #Punjab_UrbanIn #KP despite of impression of backwardness -almost every 2nd women in Urban areas are literate.
Another report published by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for the year 2021 revealed a huge gender gap in social media users of Pakistan.
A massive explosion took place at the Thar coal power plant owned by the Engro Corporation on Wednesday evening. Five people received injuries as a result.
According to details, the explosion happened at the coal plant of Engro Powergen Thar Limited (EPTL) in the coal conveyor system of the 330 MW Unit 1 of the plant.
At least five people were wounded in a massive explosion at Engro Powergen Thar Limited’s coal power plant in Thar Block II on Wednesday. A video obtained by SAMAA TV shows the blast ripping through the building
There is a great gender gap in social media users of Pakistan, reveals a report published by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) for the year 2021.
“Pakistan has some of the widest gender gaps identified not only by international organisations but also by Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS),” states the report.
“The digitally excluded segments of Pakistani women are mainly illiterate, unemployed, disabled, and those over 45 years of age,” it added.
Since the last couple of years, the percentage of female mobile subscriptions is only 21 per cent of the total subscriptions. This results in a large number of unaccounted women using mobile connections. Of 1,825 million (FY 2021) mobile connections across Pakistan, only 38 million are held by females against their CNICs; the remaining 144 million connections are held by the male population.
The Pakistan Social and Living Standards Measurement (PSLM) Household Survey 2021 released by PBS reported that 46 per cent of the country’s population (25% female and 65% male) owns a mobile phone. In terms of the rural-urban divide, the gap between male-female mobile ownership in rural areas is much higher compared to urban areas.
As per the report, out of the total social media users in the country, only 22 per cent are women, while the rest of 78 per cent are men.
The report also revealed the websites that are most visited local websites by the users, which are Daraz, OLX, Urdu Point, and Dawn.
The Punjab cabinet has approved an amendment to the West Pakistan Rules under Muslim Family Laws Ordinance 1961 and has included a new clause according to which couples planning to marry would have to take oath at the moment of nikkah to testify to their belief in the finality of Prophethood (PBUH).
The amendment was approved in the 51st provincial cabinet meeting. The cabinet met with Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar.
In October 2021, the Punjab Assembly unanimously passed a resolution to include ‘finality of Prophethood’ in the Nikkahnama (Marriage Certificate). The resolution was jointly tabled by Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) Khadija Omar, Bismillah Chaudhry, and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) Maulana Ilyas Chinioti.
The Punjab government has announced that they will offer the facility of trying for a test-tube baby or in-vitro fertilization (IVF) for people trying to conceive. As per details, the facility will be for free and will be provided in a 600-bed hospital named “Mother and Child” which will be opened in Lahore.
The hospital will be functional from June 2022 and will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
According to Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid, it would be Pakistan’s first public gynaecology department to offer IVF.
“It will treat pregnancy complications whether due to physiological or reproductive issues,” she said.
Furthermore, the government facility will have a unit to identify mental and physical health issues in the child before delivery. The 600-bed hospital will also have a section to identify health-related issues in pregnant women.
