AGP Executive Report

Women’s Health: Islamabad’s Health Services Academy held a Pinktober session on breast cancer awareness and self-examination for midwifery students. Girls’ Education: Federal officials and the World Food Programme discussed school meals and other ways to bring girls from disadvantaged communities into classrooms and improve attendance. Arts & Screen: Pakistani director Habiba Nosheen’s The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony won best feature documentary at Seattle’s Tasveer Film Festival, spotlighting young girls pursuing gymnastics. Portuguese artists are also set to take part in Karachi’s World Culture Festival. Heritage & Faith: Kotri’s 1846 church has reopened after a Rs30 million restoration that preserved its original features. Karachi’s Hindu community celebrated Navratri with temple prayers, Garba and Dandiya, and prayers for Pakistan’s peace and prosperity. Intellectual Heritage: An essay calls for renewed attention to philosopher Khalifa Abdul Hakim, whose work connected Islamic thought with philosophy, modern knowledge and humanism.

Education: Pakistan’s push for AI-enabled learning gained momentum as Shehbaz Sharif welcomed 4,000 free Gauth AI subscriptions for students and teachers, including 1,000 for Daanish schools. Punjab also launched the second phase of its laptop and scholarship schemes. The initiatives come after a Peshawar school roof collapse killed 34 children and a teacher, prompting nationwide safety checks. Books & Arts: More than 230,000 books were sold at Punjab University’s book fair, which also featured author events and poetry. Women’s Livelihoods: An Urdu theatre performance in Gujar Khan explored women’s entrepreneurship and the barriers to financial independence. Heritage: The traditional Ghughu Ghoray toy is fading from view, highlighting concerns over the loss of local craft traditions. Music: Hasan Raheem submitted “Bewajah” for consideration at the 2027 Grammy Awards.

Women’s Opportunity: Theatre Wallay and the Austrian Embassy staged an Urdu play in Gujar Khan on the barriers women face in building businesses and gaining financial independence. Reading Culture: Punjab University’s book fair sold more than 230,000 books and featured a literary festival, author launches and poetry. Folk Heritage: Punjab’s 300-year-old ghughu ghoray clay toy is nearing extinction as artisans leave the craft and plastic toys take over. Women’s Sport: A week-long tennis tournament in Islamabad showcased Pakistani and international players, with organisers using the event to spotlight women’s health and opportunity. Music & Memory: Lahore’s PILAC honoured Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan with music and archival displays as it develops a permanent gallery celebrating Punjab’s artists and heritage. Education & Safety: The Peshawar school collapse killed 34 children and a teacher, leaving families grieving and renewing calls for school-building safety checks.

School Safety: More than 30 children and a teacher were killed when a school roof collapsed in Peshawar, renewing urgent questions about building standards and student safety. Heritage: Authorities sealed a nearly 200-year-old Hindu temple in Dera Ismail Khan after community protests stopped an attempted demolition for a commercial project. Equal Education: Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated a Daanish School in Islamabad, pledging to expand access to quality education for children regardless of family income; Punjab has also launched a new phase of student laptop and scholarship schemes. Inclusion: Pakistanis with albinism are pressing for better support, as one young man’s school experience highlights how low vision and stigma can limit opportunity. Arts: Lahore’s Alhamra academy has been revamped to create new opportunities for arts education, while a Saraiki folk song has found a viral audience in India.

School Safety: A Peshawar school roof collapse killed 35 children, renewing questions about oversight as authorities order safety checks. Women in Sport: Pakistan hosted its first international W15 women’s tennis tournament, with 30 players from 17 countries competing in Islamabad. Campus Life: Karachi University students asked the Sindh High Court to enforce the student-union law and enable elections. Arts & Heritage: An Islamabad cultural session showcased work by around 50 contemporary Pakistani artists; a separate appeal to preserve classical music’s shared heritage spotlighted its cross-faith roots. Gender Justice: Punjab’s chief justice opened the province’s first dedicated court room for gender-based violence survivors in Vehari. Festivals: Lahore officials proposed March 12–14 for Basant 2027, as the High Court dismissed a petition against a 10-day celebration.

Cultural Legacy: Pakistan remembered Hakim Mohammed Said on the anniversary of his 1998 assassination; the education and health institutions he founded continue his public-service vision. School Safety: A roof collapse in Peshawar killed 35 people, most of them children, prompting school inspections and renewed scrutiny of building safety. Student Voice: Karachi University law students have petitioned for student-union elections under Sindh’s 2022 law. Arts & Exchange: Lahore’s Alhamra has revamped its arts academy, while Pakistan welcomed Bangladeshi artists for cultural exchange. Living Heritage: A 5,000-year-old Boreendo musical tradition is fighting for survival, and a Saraiki folk song has found new audiences in India online.

School Safety: Peshawar is mourning at least 35 people, including 34 students and a teacher, killed when a school roof collapsed. Police say the building was in poor condition and complaints had been raised; authorities have ordered safety checks at schools. Arts Education: Lahore’s Alhamra has renovated its Academy of Performing Arts, expanding facilities for training in 14 disciplines, from music and painting to theatre. Cultural Exchange: A Bangladeshi delegation of officials, musicians and performers has arrived in Pakistan for programmes showcasing both countries’ artistic traditions. Arts Events: Organisers have cancelled the 2027 Karachi Biennale, citing regional “war conditions”; curator Noor Ahmed said she was not consulted. Music: Hasan Raheem has submitted “Bewajah” for consideration for the 2027 Grammy Awards, while a Saraiki folk song is finding new audiences in India through social media. Heritage: A PNCA exhibition marked the 75th death anniversary of Pakistan’s first prime minister, Liaquat Ali Khan.

School Safety: Peshawar is mourning 34 children and a teacher killed when Al-Khair School’s roof collapsed. Police say the building was structurally weak; the owner has been arrested, and families say they had warned about leaks. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has ordered inspections of private schools, with findings due in three days. Basant: The Lahore High Court dismissed a challenge to a proposed 10-day celebration in 2027 as premature, saying it needs the official notification before considering the case. Arts & Heritage: A book on Sindh’s Taki Valley rock carvings has been launched, and Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan was remembered on what would have been his 78th birthday. Visual Arts: Pakistani artist Salman Toor’s Courtauld Gallery exhibition is among the week’s notable cultural stories.

School Safety: More than 30 children and a teacher died when a private school roof collapsed in Peshawar; at least 45 people were injured. The school’s owner was arrested, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa ordered safety checks at government schools, as calls grow for stronger oversight of school buildings. Women’s Rights: A new report records 237,216 crimes against women and girls in Pakistan from 2021 to 2025, with Punjab accounting for most reported cases. Minority Rights: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan warns that forced marriages and conversions, blasphemy-law misuse and discrimination persist despite new legal protections. Living Heritage: Rawalpindi’s 52 historic graveyards preserve centuries of local history and notable graves, but face neglect and dwindling space. Books and Gender: Musharraf Ali Farooqi’s The Story of a Widow explores the double standard around remarriage through a Karachi woman’s bid to claim independence after decades of marriage.

Peshawar School Tragedy: At least 31 children and a teacher were killed when a private school roof collapsed; more than 50 people were injured. The owner is in custody as authorities investigate the building’s safety. Child Protection: Pakistan has launched its first national strategy to combat violence against children, as calls grow for stronger safeguards for young people. Inclusion: On White Cane Safety Day, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pledged to improve visually impaired people’s access to education, jobs and public services. Living Heritage: A report highlights efforts to keep Pakistan’s 5,000-year-old Boreendo musical tradition alive. Music: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and his son paid tribute to Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan on the singer’s 78th birth anniversary.

Arts: Doha’s new Rubaiya Qatar quadrennial has named more than 120 artists for its first edition, including Pakistanis Bani Abidi, Naiza Khan, Saba Khan and Hira Nabi. The exhibitions and public installations run from Nov. 21 to April 30. Heritage: Faisalabad marked Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s 78th birth anniversary with a ceremony and an exhibition of rare photographs, celebrating the qawwal’s global impact. Traditional Music: A report highlights the struggle to preserve Pakistan’s 5,000-year-old Boreendo tradition. Accessibility: On International White Cane Safety Day, President Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called for better access to education, workplaces, public buildings and transport for people with disabilities. Education: Punjab’s new school timings take effect Oct. 16, while the province’s 2026–27 medical and dental admissions policy sets merit at 50% entrance-test results, 40% intermediate marks and 10% matriculation marks.

Living Heritage: Pakistan’s 5,000-year-old boreendo, a clay wind instrument rooted in Sindh, is at risk of disappearing. Master musician Faqeer Zulfiqar and craftsman Allah Jurio Kunbhar are training younger people to preserve its sound and skills; UNESCO has placed the tradition on its urgent-safeguarding list. On Screen: Actor Sabeena Farooq denied getting lip fillers, saying she fears needles, and urged people not to judge others’ choices. Tamasha Season 5 winner Babrik Shah also spoke about the grief of losing his young son, and how humour helped him support his wife. Schools: Punjab’s government schools switch to winter hours on October 16, with single-shift classes running 8:45am–1:30pm Monday to Thursday and ending at 12:30pm on Fridays. Food and Hospitality: Pakistani chef Saliha Khan won the South Asian Award at the UK’s Be Inclusive Hospitality Spotlight Awards.

Women’s Financial Inclusion: The State Bank has launched its Banking on Equality 2026 policy, building on progress that narrowed the financial inclusion gap between women and men from 39% in 2021 to 29% in 2025. Gender-Based Violence: A new study launched by the National Assembly’s Women’s Parliamentary Caucus calls for clearer tracking of funding and stronger accountability for preventing and responding to abuse. Women’s Rights: The Supreme Court upheld the death sentence of a man who murdered a woman after she refused his marriage proposal, affirming that her refusal was her right. Education: A former Punjab education minister urged federal and provincial governments to agree on a common curriculum, with time to prepare schools, teachers and textbooks. Meghan Markle and Malala Yousafzai also announced a fundraiser for girls’ education, with proceeds from selected products going to Malala Fund. Community Health: A Karachi breast cancer awareness programme trained 50 women at a SINA clinic on early detection and seeking medical advice.

Books & Reading: Pakistan’s National Book Foundation and Iran’s embassy plan to publish 40 Iranian children’s books in Urdu, bringing new stories to young readers nationwide. Education: ILO and UNESCO have urged greater investment in Pakistan’s teachers as the country grapples with more than 25 million children out of school. A separate alleged admissions scam ended in tragedy: gold medallist Laiba Ijaz died by suicide after being promised a fake Harvard place and scholarship, according to investigators. Women & Girls: A report says more than 24% of women in Sindh married before age 18, renewing concerns about girls’ rights and protection. Arts & Culture: Karachi’s World Culture Festival is set to welcome artists from 150 countries, while literary figures recently gathered at Alhamra to honour writer Mustansar Hussain Tarar. A new book of eyewitness accounts also revisits the violence of Partition.

Urdu Literature: Alhamra and the ECO Cultural Institute honoured Mustansar Hussain Tarar at a Lahore literary evening, where the acclaimed writer reflected on travel, society and human relationships. Mental Wellbeing: Karachi’s Khudi Wellness Carnival brought students, families and professionals together to discuss youth mental health, inclusion and everyday emotional support. Community & Heritage: Sujawal’s legal community celebrated Aga Khan V’s birthday and the Aga Khan Development Network’s work in education, health and cultural diversity. A Senate panel also urged regular provincial contributions to maintain Mazar-e-Quaid and called for the mausoleum’s main chamber to reopen to the public. Arts: Karachi’s upcoming World Culture Festival is set to bring artists from 150 countries, while Anwar Maqsood is returning to the stage for a final play. Education: The death of gold medallist Laiba Ijaz after an alleged education-consultancy fraud has prompted calls for stronger action against scams targeting students and families.

Student Safety: Laiba Ijaz, a 20-year-old physics gold medallist, died by suicide after an alleged Rs9.3 million scam promising Harvard admission, a scholarship and a US visa. A court remanded the main suspect for five days, and a Senate committee has called for an inquiry. Schools & Daily Life: Emergency rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has brought roadblocks, school closures and postponed exams, disrupting routines as political tensions deepen. Minority Rights: A mob attack on a Christian man’s home and pharmacy in Sheikhupura district drove more than 35 families from their homes, amid fears of further violence. Arts: Karachi’s World Culture Festival is set to bring artists from 150 countries to the city. Study Abroad: UK universities are withdrawing some admission offers to Pakistani students amid tighter visa rules; the restrictions vary by institution and are not a blanket ban.