Saima Ayub

A child stands in the middle of the room. Arms folded. Lips pressed tight. Eyes burning with a quiet storm.&nbsp;You say, &ldquo;Pick up your bag.&rdquo;&nbsp;The child says, &ldquo;No.&rdquo;&nbsp;And just like that, the air changes.&nbsp;We call it stubbornness. A difficult nature. A bad habit. A strong will gone wrong.&nbsp;But after years of watching children in classrooms, corridors, playgrounds, and parent meetings, I&nbsp;have learned something unsettling and honest: stubbornness is rarely about defiance. It is usually about&nbsp;distress.&nbsp;A child is not born stubborn. A child becomes stubborn when they feel unheard, unseen, or overpowered.&nbsp;In school, I have seen the quiet child suddenly refuse to write. The cheerful one who refuses to share. The&nbsp;obedient student who one day simply says, &ldquo;I won&rsquo;t.&rdquo; Parents are shocked. &ldquo;He was never like this.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;She&nbsp;used to listen.&rdquo;&nbsp;Yes. Because something has shifted inside.&nbsp;Children live in a world where almost everything is decided for them, what to wear, when to wake up,&nbsp;what to eat, when to study, how to sit, and how to speak.&nbsp;Their lives are structured by bells and instructions.&nbsp;And while structure is necessary, control without voice breeds resistance.&nbsp;Stubbornness is often a child&rsquo;s small, trembling attempt to say, &ldquo;I want some control too.&rdquo;&nbsp;Psychologists speak of autonomy as a basic human need. Even a four-year-old wants to feel capable. When&nbsp;that need is repeatedly dismissed.&nbsp; &ldquo;Don&rsquo;t argue.&rdquo; &nbsp;&ldquo;Just do as I say.&rdquo; &ldquo;Because I said so.&rdquo;&nbsp; The child&nbsp;learns that the only way to be heard is to resist.&nbsp;And resistance becomes a habit.&nbsp;There is another truth we rarely admit. Sometimes children become stubborn because we are.&nbsp;A rushed parent. A tired teacher. A command given without eye contact. An instruction repeated louder&nbsp;each time. The child mirrors what they see. Stiffness creates stiffness.&nbsp;I remember a boy in my school who refused to participate in group work. Every day, the same battle. His&nbsp;teacher insisted. He resisted. Voices rose. Tears followed.&nbsp;One afternoon, instead of insisting, the teacher sat beside him and asked softly, &ldquo;What worries you about&nbsp;group work?&rdquo;&nbsp;He whispered, &ldquo;They laugh at my English.&rdquo;&nbsp;That was the stubbornness. Not rebellion, fear.&nbsp;Once we understood that, everything changed.&nbsp;A graceful response does not mean permissiveness. It means firmness with dignity. Boundaries without&nbsp;humiliation. Authority without anger. When a child refuses, pause before reacting. Ask yourself: Is this about power, fear, tiredness, or simply a&nbsp;need to be noticed?&nbsp;Offer limited choices. &ldquo;You can start with math or English. Which one first?&rdquo; Choice restores dignity.&nbsp;Acknowledge feelings without surrendering rules. &ldquo;I know you&rsquo;re upset. The homework still needs to be&nbsp;done.&rdquo;&nbsp;Stay calmA calm adult regulates a storming child. A shouting adult creates a hurricane.&nbsp;And sometimes, let natural consequences teach. If a child refuses to pack their bag, allow them to face the&nbsp;discomfort of forgetting a notebook, without rescuing them immediately. Responsibility grows when we&nbsp;step back.&nbsp;Above all, protect the relationship. No lesson is more important than trust.&nbsp;Children who feel safe do not need to fight for control. They learn cooperation because they feel&nbsp;respected.&nbsp;In my years as an educationist, I have seen stubborn children grow into strong leaders, once their will&nbsp;was guided, not crushed. The same firmness that says &ldquo;No&rdquo; at five can say &ldquo;I stand for what is right&rdquo; at&nbsp;twenty.&nbsp;Stubbornness is raw strength. Mishandled, it becomes rebellion. Understood, it becomes resilience.&nbsp;So the next time a child folds their arms and says &ldquo;No,&rdquo; do not see an enemy.&nbsp;See a small human being, struggling to find their voice in a world that often speaks over them.&nbsp;And respond, not with force, but with steady grace.

Blogs

Children’s stubbornness is rarely defiance; it signals distress, fear, or a need for autonomy. Control without voice breeds resistance. Calm authority, limited choices, natural consequences, and preserved trust transform defiance into resilience, guiding strong will into future leadership.

Why children become stubborn, and how to respond gracefully

As parents and guardians we think of lying as a moral crack in the wall. But when it comes to children, truth is usually softer, and sadder.&nbsp;Children lie because of fear.&nbsp;They are not afraid of prison or police rather our faces. They are afraid of our silence. Afraid of disappointing the people whose approval feels like everything.&nbsp;A child who breaks a glass does not first think about right or wrong. He thinks about what will happen next. Will there be shouting? Will love feel distant? In that quick, anxious moment, a lie becomes a small shield. &ldquo;It wasn&rsquo;t me.&rdquo; It is not wickedness speaking. It is fear trying to survive.&nbsp;If we are honest with ourselves, we may remember doing the same.&nbsp;There is also imagination, a bright and restless force in childhood. A five-year-old may&nbsp;insist the cat opened the cupboard or the wind pushed the vase. To us it sounds like&nbsp;deliberate deception. But in a young mind, imagination and reality often sit side by side.&nbsp;The child is not carefully constructing fraud. He is escaping guilt the only way he knows how, through story.&nbsp;As children grow older, their lies change shape.&nbsp;An older child may hide poor marks. A teenager may lie about where she was. These lies&nbsp;are not about spilled milk anymore. They are about identity. About wanting to be seen as&nbsp;capable, responsible, mature.&nbsp;Children care deeply about how we see them. Sometimes more than we realize.&nbsp;When expectations are high and mistakes feel unbearable, truth begins to look dangerous. There is also another quiet reason: children are learningsome point. At some point a child discovers that thoughts are private. That adults cannot see inside&nbsp;their minds. It is a startling discovery. With it comes experimentation. &ldquo;If I say this, will they believe me?&rdquo; It is less a plan to deceive and more a test of the world.&nbsp;None of this means lying should be ignored. Trust, once damaged, is difficult to rebuild. But punishment alone rarely builds honesty. It often builds better liars.&nbsp;If every confession is met with anger, the child learns to hide more carefully next time.&nbsp;What then helps?Calmness helps.&nbsp;When a child admits, &ldquo;Yes, I broke it,&rdquo; and hears, &ldquo;Thank you for telling me,&rdquo; something important happens. The mistake still matters. The consequence may still follow. But the&nbsp;child learns that truth does not cancel love.&nbsp;That lesson stays.&nbsp;We must also look at ourselves. Children notice the small things. When we say on the&nbsp;phone, &ldquo;Tell them I&rsquo;m not home,&rdquo; they are listening. When we exaggerate stories or twist&nbsp;facts, they are watching. We cannot demand honesty in a language we do not speak.&nbsp;A lying child is not a lost child.More often, it is a worried child. Or an ashamed child. Or simply a growing child trying to&nbsp;manage feelings too large for his small hands.&nbsp;If we want honesty, we must make it safe. Safe to fail. Safe to confess. Safe to be imperfect.&nbsp;The real question is not, &ldquo;Why is my child lying?&rdquo;&nbsp;Perhaps it is, &ldquo;What is my child afraid of losing if they tell the truth?&rdquo;&nbsp;When we answer that gently &mdash; not with authority alone, but with understanding, we&nbsp;may find that the lies grow fewer, and the conversations grow deeper.&nbsp;And that is where trust truly begins.

Children often lie from fear, imagination, or growing identity, not malice. Honesty grows when adults respond calmly, model truth, and make mistakes safe, showing that truth never cancels love, trust, or belonging for children everywhere.

The psychology behind kids lying

Many adults believe that raising one&rsquo;s voice is a normal part of parenting, saying, &ldquo;Children don&rsquo;t listen otherwise.&rdquo; &nbsp;In homes and schools, shouting is often treated as a form of discipline. Yet shouting does not teach children to behave better; rather, it teaches them to be afraid, confused, or equally loud. As an educationist, I have seen this pattern repeated over the years and across classrooms. &nbsp; A raised voice may stop a child in the moment, but it never builds understanding.&nbsp; Silence after shouting is not obedience. It is an emotional shutdown.&nbsp; Research on child psychology and emotional regulation shows that children learn&nbsp;to manage their feelings by watching adults. When adults shout, children&rsquo;s stress hormones rise. The brain moves into survival mode, during which learning stops.&nbsp; The child may comply, but nothing is understood or remembered.&nbsp; Consider a common morning scene.&nbsp;A child is slow to get ready for school; his shoes are missing, and his breakfast is unfinished. Consequently, the parents&rsquo; voice rises with every minute. The child freezes, cries, or becomes stubborn, and by the time the child reaches school, he is already anxious.&nbsp; Teachers later complain that he is inattentive or aggressive, but the problem did not start in the classroom; it began at home, with raised voices.&nbsp; Neuroscience supports this observation. Research from Harvard&rsquo;s Center on the Developing Child shows that repeated exposure to stress &mdash; such as frequent shouting &mdash; can affect a child&rsquo;s developing brain, weakening the areas responsible for attention, memory, and emotional control.&nbsp; In simple words, shouting makes it harder for children to behave well in the future.&nbsp; Some people, however, argue that &ldquo;our parents shouted, and we turned out fine.&rdquo;&nbsp; This statement avoids an honest question: Did we truly turn out fine, or did we simply learn to hide fear and repeat the same behavior? Many adults admit they now struggle with anger, anxiety, or communication. These patterns often begin in childhood. In schools, the difference between loud authority and calm authority is clear.&nbsp; I recall a teacher who never raised her voice, even in a noisy classroom. She paused, stood still, and waited. Slowly, students noticed. Silence followed. Her calm was stronger than shouting. The children respected her not because they feared her, but because they trusted her.&nbsp; Another example comes from a parent who decided to change one habit: no shouting in the morning. Instead of repeated instructions, she created a simple routine chart with pictures. The first week was difficult. The second week was quieter. Within a month, her child became more independent.&nbsp; The parent did not lose control. She gained cooperation. Research on positive discipline confirms this.&nbsp; According to studies published in the Journal of Family Psychology, children raised with calm, consistent guidance show better self-control and fewer behavioral problems than those disciplined through yelling or threats. Calm discipline teaches responsibility, whereas loud discipline teaches fear.&nbsp; Raising your voice also damages the relationship between an adult and a child, as children may listen to a shouting adult but stop sharing their thoughts.&nbsp; They learn that mistakes bring anger, not guidance.&nbsp; Over time, this creates distance. Power should never be loud to be effective. True authority is quiet and steady. The same is true in parenting and teaching. A calm voice shows confidence. A raised voice shows loss of control. This does not mean children do not need boundaries. They do.&nbsp; But boundaries delivered calmly are clearer and stronger.&nbsp; &ldquo;We do not hit.&rdquo;&nbsp; &ldquo;We finish our homework before play.&rdquo;&nbsp; Short sentences, firm tone, no shouting. Children understand this language.&nbsp; Never raising your voice does not mean being weak.&nbsp;It means being aware. It means choosing long-term growth over short-term silence.&nbsp; Children are not broken machines to be fixed with noise. They are learning humans. When adults lower their voices, children learn to regulate theirs. When adults stay calm, children feel safe enough to listen.&nbsp; In the end, the goal is not quiet children. The goal is confident, emotionally healthy adults. And that lesson begins with a calm voice today.

Children are not broken machines to be fixed with noise. They are learning humans. When adults lower their voices, children learn to regulate theirs. When adults stay calm, children feel safe enough to listen. 

Never raise your voice at your children

Every morning tells a story. Some mornings begin with light, routine, and quiet purpose. Others begin with shouting. In many homes, the day opens not with sunlight but with raised voices. &ldquo;Hurry up.&rdquo; &ldquo;You&rsquo;re late again.&rdquo; &ldquo;How many times have I told you?&rdquo; These words are spoken quickly, often without cruelty, often with worry behind them. Yet their effect is deeper than we imagine. A child who begins his day with scolding does not leave those words at the doorstep. He carries them into the classroom, into his notebook, into his behavior, and into his sense of self. A child&rsquo;s mind in the morning is not prepared for battle. It is soft, just waking, trying to gather itself. When the first sound it hears is anger, the body reacts before the brain can reason. The heart beats faster. Muscles tighten. The mind shifts into defense. By the time the child reaches school, he is already tired. Teachers often notice this without knowing the cause. The child is distracted, restless, unusually quiet, or unusually aggressive. He forgets his books, avoids eye contact, or argues over small things. We label him careless, lazy, or illmannered. But often, he is simply recovering from his morning. Academics suffer quietly. A mind that is anxious cannot focus deeply. Reading requires calm attention. Writing requires confidence. Mathematics requires patience. A child who has been shouted at begins the day believing he is already wrong. When the teacher asks a question, he hesitates. When he makes a mistake, it confirms what he was told at home. Slowly, learning becomes a place of fear rather than curiosity. Behavior follows the same pattern. Some children withdraw. They sit silently, trying not to be noticed, afraid that attention will bring more criticism. Others do the opposite. They talk back, disturb the class, or pick fights. Both behaviors come from the same root: emotional imbalance. A shaken child will either shrink or shake others. Morning scolding shapes how a child thinks about himself for the rest of the day. Repeated often, it becomes a quiet belief: &ldquo;I am always late. I am always wrong. I always disappoint.&rdquo; Parents do not intend this. Morning is genuinely difficult. Time is short. Responsibilities are many. Yet discipline delivered in shouting loses its purpose. It may speed the child for a moment, but it slows him for the whole day. Parent&#39;s roleThere is another way, simpler but requiring effort. First, prepare the night before. School bags packed, uniforms laid out, shoes placed where they belong. A prepared morning needs fewer words. Second, wake children earlier than necessary. Rushing creates shouting. Time creates calm. Third, replace commands with reminders. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s time to wear your shoes&rdquo; works better than &ldquo;Why are you still sitting?&rdquo; Fourth, lower your voice intentionally. A calm voice demands attention more effectively than a loud one. Children mirror tone before they understand meaning. Fifth, offer one sentence of encouragement before they leave. &ldquo;Have a good day.&rdquo; &ldquo;I know you&rsquo;ll do well.&rdquo; These words travel with the child far longer than scolding ever will. Lastly, remember this: school tests knowledge, but mornings shape character. A child who leaves home feeling safe will face the world with confidence. A child who leaves home feeling small will spend the day trying to protect himself. We cannot control everything that happens to our children outside. But we control the first hour of their day. And often, that hour decides the rest. The morning does not need perfection. It needs peace.

Morning scolding quietly shapes a child’s emotions, learning, and behavior. Anxious beginnings drain focus and confidence all day. Calm preparation, gentle reminders, time, and encouragement create mornings that help children learn, behave, and face school.

How mornings shape children’s behavior

In modern households and classrooms, a rising issue causing tension between generations is the hyperactive child. Found in every other classroom and home, these children are often loud and chaotic, and they tend to fidget or hit their siblings. While many parents and teachers respond with yelling and label these children as &quot;bad&quot; or &quot;disrespectful,&quot; experts argue that this behavior is entirely outside the child&#39;s conscious control. The &lsquo;internal bucket&rsquo; overflowHyperactive children act as emotional &quot;sponges,&quot; absorbing chaos, stress, and constant instructions from adults around them. Whether it&rsquo;s pressure about academic performance or household stress, these feelings build up until the child&rsquo;s &quot;internal bucket&quot; overflows. Since their small bodies can&rsquo;t hold all this emotional weight, they often release it through physical actions &mdash; leading to the loudness, running, and classroom disruptions that frustrated adults frequently observe. A search for connection in a busy worldThe increase in hyperactivity is also connected to a lack of connection in busier lives. As parents spend less one-on-one time with their children, hyperactive outbursts can be seen as a cry for attention, essentially telling the parent: &quot;I exist; see me, hear me.&quot;&nbsp; The science of overstimulationModern environmental factors are further &quot;boosting&quot; children&#39;s energy levels to levels that are uncontrollable. There can be several key triggers, such as: - Fast-paced cartoons and bright visual colors.- Constant noise and screen time.- High-sugar diets that provide an artificial energy spike. When a child&rsquo;s brain becomes overstimulated by these factors, it enters a &quot;high alert mode.&quot; In this physiological state, the child&rsquo;s heart beats faster and their breathing changes, making it nearly impossible for them to process instructions or stay still.&nbsp; A call for channelled energyInstead of relying on discipline and labels, adults should view these behaviors as reflections of the nervous system. The focus should move away from punishment and toward channeling the child&#39;s energy to support their physiological and emotional well-being.

The ‘Bad Child’ myth: Why hyperactivity is a physiological cry for help

Articles

Hyperactive children are frequently misunderstood and unfairly labelled as 'bad' or 'disrespectful' by parents and teachers. However, their behavior — such as being loud, fidgeting, or hitting — reflects their nervous system and is not something they can consciously control.

Walk into any classroom today and the effects of modern parenting are obvious. Some children sit rigidly, waiting for instructions; others move through the day as if limits are optional. After years of observing families and schools, one truth is clear: both strictness without explanation and freedom without structure fail to cultivate the character parents and teachers aim to build. We want to raise thoughtful, self-disciplined adults. Yet many homes swing between the iron fist and the open palm, between command and negotiation, producing not maturity but confusion. Neither extreme teaches children to govern themselves. The tyranny of fixed rules Strict parents value order and respect. Their homes run on directives delivered from on high, &quot;Do your homework now,&quot; with little warmth or explanation. The short-term results can be impressive: obedient children, polite manners, quiet households. But this discipline is rooted in fear, not understanding. Research shows that rules without reasoning create compliance that collapses once the authority figure disappears. Children raised under constant control often develop anxiety, resentment, or outright rebellion.&nbsp; They learn to obey, not to comprehend. And obedience without comprehension is easily abandoned the moment independence arrives. The chaos of unbounded love At the opposite end are permissive parents, warm, loving, and eager to avoid conflict. But in their quest to preserve peace, everything becomes negotiable: bedtimes, homework, even basic routines. Consequences feel &ldquo;too harsh,&rdquo; and boundaries soften into suggestions. This feels compassionate in the moment, yet it leaves children unprepared for life beyond the living room. Educators see the results daily: difficulty with limits, poor self-control, impulsivity, and lower academic performance.&nbsp; Freedom without responsibility may feel gentle, but it ultimately traps children in their own impulses. Love without limits is simply another form of chaos. The path to self-discipline Both extremes overlook the real goal: helping children develop an inner compass. The most effective approach, supported by research and common sense, is the balanced model psychologists call authoritative parenting: firm but warm, structured but respectful. This style replaces punishment with guidance. It means offering clear rules but explaining the reasoning behind them. It means granting autonomy within boundaries, &lsquo;Turn off the phone at nine so your brain can rest for school, or Do your homework before or after dinner&mdash;you choose&rsquo;. These small choices teach judgment and build confidence. Children raised this way learn not only what to do, but why. And once they grasp the &ldquo;why,&rdquo; they carry the rule with them even when no one is watching. Ultimately, every child needs three assurances: That they have a voice. That they are capable. That they are loved. A strict home creates brittle obedience. A permissive home breeds drifting freedom. The middle path, love with limits, creates adults who can steer themselves. Parenting, at its best, is neither dictatorship nor friendship. It is guidance: steady, warm, and firm, teaching children that life has rules, and those rules have reasons. Only then do they learn to watch themselves, not because someone demands it, but because they have learned to do so.

Strict parenting breeds fear and rebellion, while permissiveness creates chaos and poor self-control. A balanced, authoritative approach best develops children’s inner discipline by combining clear rules, explanations, and meaningful autonomy.

Why both strict and lenient parents fail to build character

After years in classrooms, offices, and parent meetings, I have learned one truth: multitasking destroys children&rsquo;s focus. Their minds are delicate, like quiet rooms that need peace to stay bright. Yet today, those rooms are rarely quiet anymore. Almost every day, I hear the same concern from parents. They walk into their child&rsquo;s room and see a familiar scene: homework on the table, a YouTube video playing beside it, the phone buzzing every few minutes, a game notification flashing like a small firecracker. Sometimes the TV hums in the background. The child insists, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m studying.&rdquo; And in a way, they believe they are. This chaos has become normal. We adults call it multitasking, Children call it life, But the brain has its own opinion and it disagrees with both. What I Have Seen in ChildrenChildren today remind me of runners told to stop every few seconds. Start. Stop. Start again. No matter how strong the runner is, eventually they collapse. Their energy leaks away in little drops. One boy in Grade 6 once told me during a break, &ldquo;Ma&rsquo;am, I sit to study, but then my mind starts itching for my phone. I check one message and suddenly it is 40 minutes later.&rdquo; He said it with embarrassment, as if he were confessing a crime. But it wasn&rsquo;t a crime, it was a symptom. Inside the Mind: A Simple PictureImagine a chalkboard. You write on it, wipe it off. Some dust remains. You write again, erase again soon the board becomes smudged, unclear, hard to read. That is what happens to a child&rsquo;s mind when they switch from homework to notifications, from reading to reels, from solving to scrolling. The brain does not leap; it limps from one task to another, carrying the dust of the previous one. I have seen children stare at a single paragraph for ten minutes not because they don&rsquo;t understand, but because part of their mind is still sitting inside a TikTok video they watched two minutes earlier. Why Children Struggle More Than AdultsPeople say, &ldquo;This generation is smarter. They can handle screens.&rdquo; It sounds comfortable, but it is wrong. The part of the brain that controls focus the prefrontal cortex matures slowly. It doesn&rsquo;t fully grow until the mid-20s. Expecting a 12-year-old to &ldquo;just ignore the phone&rdquo; is like asking a bicycle to outrun a car. Children are more vulnerable to distraction. They fall faster, and they fall harder. A teenage girl once told me, &ldquo;Miss, I don&rsquo;t even enjoy scrolling anymore, but my brain doesn&rsquo;t let me stop.&rdquo; Her voice cracked not from wanting more, but from losing control. What This Looks Like at HomeParents often tell me, &ldquo;My child sits with books for hours but learns nothing.&rdquo; One mother described her son doing math homework with cartoons playing behind him. He kept saying, &ldquo;I&rsquo;m not watching.&rdquo; But his eyes blinked every time the sound changed. His brain was listening. A task that should take one hour now takes three. In the end, the child feels slow, frustrated, and strangely exhausted. The Greater CostBeyond grades, something deeper is weakening the child&rsquo;s ability to sit with a thought. Children jump from idea to idea like stones skimming over a lake, never sinking long enough to see what lies beneath. This constant half-awareness is linked to anxiety, poor sleep, and a fading emotional connection with family. One father told me, &ldquo;My son sits with us, but he lives somewhere else inside his screen.&rdquo; What We Can DoProtecting single tasks is essential: short, 25-minute focus sessions can help rebuild a child&rsquo;s ability to sit still. This works best when the phone is removed entirely from the study area, because even a silent phone lying face down weakens focus.&nbsp; Just as important is showing children what real attention looks like when we scroll while they talk, they learn distraction, but when we listen fully, they learn presence. Some children say they need background noise. Soft instrumental music is fine. But screens, lyrics, and videos always take more than they give. Multitasking feels modern, but its cost is ancient:a child who cannot think deeply loses clarity, creativity, and confidence. If we protect their focus now, we return to them the one thing every growing mind needs a quiet inner room where ideas can bloom.

After years in classrooms, offices, and parent meetings, I have learned one truth: multitasking destroys children’s focus. Their minds are delicate, like quiet rooms that need peace to stay bright. Yet today, those rooms are rarely quiet anymore.


How multitasking is quietly harming children’s minds

Teenagers often see sleepovers as part of a &lsquo;normal&rsquo; childhood. Children talk about them with excitement: popcorn, late-night chatter, and whisper secrets under blankets. Many of us remember our own sleepovers with fondness, too, but are sleepovers really as harmless as they seem? The fun and the hidden risksThe moment children stay overnight at someone else&rsquo;s home, parents lose a great deal of agency. Every household has its own rules about food, bedtime, screen use, and discipline. For a child, less supervision often means late nights, poor sleep, exposure to inappropriate media, or even unhealthy peer pressure. What looks like &ldquo;harmless fun&rdquo; can sometimes leave behind worries or habits that show up much later. What research reminds usMany parents tell me something along the lines of, &quot;I went on sleepovers and turned out fine.&quot; I always remind parents that personal anecdotes cannot be the only metric for assessing risk. Times have also changed, and so have risks. Research shows that children rarely sleep well when away from home. Even losing two or three hours of good sleep can affect mood, immunity, and school performance. A 2020 report by Common Sense Media revealed something worrying: one in four children said their first experience of being bullied or humiliated happened during a sleepover. What some children remember as &ldquo;funny pranks,&rdquo; others carry as painful memories. Many young people report that they first came across explicit or disturbing material not at home, but during unsupervised group settings like sleepovers. Ergo, while the laughter is real, research shows that the hidden costs are real too. Do sleepovers build friendships?One common argument is that sleepovers help children bond. And it is true, spending extra time together strengthens friendships. But do they have to bond overnight? Child development studies tell us children build deep connections through teamwork, games, sports, creative clubs, and playdates. In Japan, overnight stays usually happen at schools under trained supervision. In Scandinavian countries, its nature camps with structured guidance. Friendship doesn&rsquo;t require risk. Children can bond just as well, and sometimes more meaningfully, through safe, supervised activities. Healthier alternativesSaying no to sleepovers doesn&rsquo;t mean saying no to fun. Parents can offer other options that give children the same joy without the risks: Late-night playdatesChildren can watch a movie, eat snacks, and play till 9 p.m. or 10 p.m., then head home for proper rest. Supervised group eventsCamping trips, movie nights, or school retreats allow for bonding in a safe, structured way. Family-based overnightsStaying with cousins or trusted relatives gives the same excitement but within familiar boundaries and values. As an educator, I believe traditions should be revisited regularly in light of children&rsquo;s well-being. Sleepovers are not categorically &ldquo;bad&rdquo; in themselves, but they carry risks that cannot be ignored. Tradition alone should not decide what is right for our children. Our choices should be guided by what protects them today and prepares them for a better and more secure tomorrow. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this section are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or editorial policy of Pakistan TV Digital. The writer, an educationist with over 26 years of experience, is the founder of P.E.A.K.S School, Islamabad.

Teenagers see sleepovers as childhood staples. Children talk about them eagerly. While many recall theirs fondly, are sleepovers truly harmless as they seem?

Why parents shouldn’t allow children ‘sleepovers'

The United Nations has been clear, The last eight years have been the hottest on record globally. This staggering reality is not lost on our children. As an educator, I witness their subtle anxiety every day, expressed through questions like: &quot;Why is it so hot?&quot; and &quot;Why did the flood ruin my uncle&rsquo;s house?&quot; These are not casual questions. They are children grappling with the new, harsh reality of their lives. The time for debating climate change is over. We are living through it. Every summer seems to break the record of the last. Devastating floods, such as those that affected more than 33 million people in Pakistan this year, are now a seasonal expectation. At the same time, parts of Europe saw temperatures cross 40 degrees Celsius for the first time. This is not bad luck. It is accelerating climate change, driven by human activity: burning fossil fuels, deforestation and pollution. The issue isn&#39;t about distant glaciers. It is about our daily survival: the quality of the air we breathe, the stability of our food supply and the safety of our families. When floods wipe out crops, food prices jump. When heatwaves intensify, outdoor play becomes dangerous. Climate change is a local, public health and economic emergency. Currently, most schools only touch on climate change in Science or Geography classes. But this coverage is typically superficial. It stops at defining the problem and fails entirely to teach students what to do about it. This is a failure of responsibility. We need to move past defining the crisis and start actively preparing students to be critical thinkers and contributors to the solutions. We urgently need a formal, standalone curriculum for climate change built around action, not just memorization. Imagine a generation of students who graduate knowing:<ul type="disc"><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">How to conserve water and electricity to save resources and money.</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The local environmental impact of reducing plastic and household waste.</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">The effective ways planting trees can cool their neighborhood and mitigate flood risk.</li><li style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">How their everyday choices about energy, finance and consumption are globally connected.</li></ul>This would not be another subject; it would be a manual for navigating the world they are about to inherit. By focusing on climate education now, we give the next generation the skills to adapt, innovate and lead. The students in our classrooms today are tomorrow&#39;s policymakers, business leaders and parents. The choices they make will determine whether society moves toward a sustainable future or further destruction. By prioritizing this education, we equip them to act responsibly. More importantly, we give them hope. We show them they don&#39;t have to be passive victims of the crisis; they can be powerful agents of change. Climate change is the great challenge of our time. Let&rsquo;s use it as an opportunity to teach responsibility, empathy and courage. I believe, unequivocally, that climate change must be formally integrated into our national school curriculum. We must stop limiting ourselves to raising awareness. We must give our students the tools and knowledge to act&mdash;to save water, reduce waste, plant trees and advocate for the planet. This is not an abstract debate. It is a fundamental choice about our children&rsquo;s survival, right here in Pakistan. If we act now, we can prepare them to build a cleaner, safer and healthier world. Let us, as parents and educators, support this critical curriculum change. Our children are ready to learn and act. It is our responsibility to give them the right education. Climate change is not just another subject; it is the fundamental reality of their future. Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in this section are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or editorial policy of Pakistan TV Digital. The writer, an educationist with over 26 years of experience, is the founder of P.E.A.K.S School Islamabad.&nbsp;

The United Nations confirms the past eight years as the hottest on record. Climate change now defines children’s lives, demanding urgent, action-based education in Pakistan’s schools to equip students with skills to adapt, act, and lead sustainably.

Why climate education should be part of our national curriculum

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pressure on Israel over its military campaign in Lebanon intensified on Tuesday, as Italy suspended defense ties, Spain issued a blunt legal rebuke, and China called for respect for Lebanese sovereignty. In Rome, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni announced the suspension of a long-standing defense cooperation agreement with Israel. The pact, in place since 2006, covers military training, industrial cooperation, &nbsp;and technology sharing. According to AFP, Italian officials said the move followed reports that Israeli forces fired warning shots at a United Nations peacekeeping convoy in southern Lebanon that included Italian personnel, an incident that drew strong backlash in Italy, a key contributor to the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). &ldquo;In view of the current situation, the government has decided to suspend the automatic renewal of the defence agreement with Israel,&rdquo; Meloni said on the sidelines of an event in Verona, according to Italian news agencies ANSA and AGI. In Beijing, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro S&aacute;nchez delivered a sharp condemnation, accusing Israel of violating international law and describing its conduct as &ldquo;intolerable,&rdquo; AFP reported. Speaking during an official visit, S&aacute;nchez said the war had been a &ldquo;mistake&rdquo; from the outset and called for the European Union to suspend its cooperation framework with Israel. He also urged accountability, warning that there should be &ldquo;no impunity&rdquo; for what he described as criminal acts, and said Lebanon must be included in any ceasefire arrangement. Separately, Iran&rsquo;s President Masoud Pezeshkian said in a post on X that &ldquo;the essence of civilizations reveals itself at critical historical junctures,&rdquo; adding that positions taken by countries including Spain, China, Russia, T&uuml;rkiye, Italy, and Egypt against what he described as &ldquo;warmongering and crimes&rdquo; reflect their deep cultural and historical roots.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2044063688584507580&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Flogin%2F&sessionId=3362cbd2995e2849f5202d296d2c5f703c1a9990&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 321px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;"></iframe></div></div> China&rsquo;s response included Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning saying Lebanon&rsquo;s sovereignty &ldquo;should not be violated&rdquo; and stressed the need to protect civilian lives, urging all parties to de-escalate. Israeli officials did not immediately respond to the remarks.

A photograph taken from the Israeli side of the border with Lebanon shows Israeli soldiers driving along a road running beside destroyed buildings in southern Lebanon on April 15, 2026. (AFP)

Asia

Europe

Middle East

Italy suspends defense ties, Spain condemns Israel, and China urges restraint as global pressure mounts over Lebanon strikes. Iran’s Masoud Pezeshkian also criticizes Israel, highlighting the widening international backlash.

Global pressure grows on Israel as Italy, Spain, China criticize Lebanon strikes

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said on Tuesday that China does not recognize the &ldquo;so-called &lsquo;Arunachal Pradesh&rsquo; illegally set up by India.&rdquo;&nbsp;He made the remarks at the ministry&rsquo;s regular press conference in Beijing. China&rsquo;s newly announced standardized names for places in Zangnan are &ldquo;fully within China&rsquo;s sovereign rights,&rdquo; he said, using the Chinese name for the region, adding that&nbsp;&ldquo;Zangnan region is China&rsquo;s territory.&rdquo; <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2044256901417054517&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=59cf929660b953b1a57fd64f6b4703305659807c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 640px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>The statement followed the publication by China&rsquo;s Ministry of Civil Affairs of a sixth batch of standardized names for places in Zangnan on April 10, according to Guo&rsquo;s remarks at the briefing. At the same press conference, Guo said China-India relations are &ldquo;generally stable at the moment,&rdquo; adding that&nbsp;China&rsquo;s commitment to improving and growing relations with India &ldquo;has not changed.&rdquo; India has rejected China&#39;s decision to assign new names to places in the region India calls Arunachal Pradesh. The foreign ministry statement was China&rsquo;s response to India&rsquo;s criticism. The English-language&nbsp;China Daily, in a report, quoted Guo as saying that both countries should &ldquo;move toward each other&rdquo; and take more steps conducive to bilateral relations. It reported that India said the move detracted from efforts to stabilize bilateral ties.

China

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun has said that China’s latest standardized place names in Zangnan are within its sovereign rights, and that Beijing rejects Indian occupation of Arunachal Pradesh.

China says it has never recognized Arunachal Pradesh as part of India

RAIPUR: The death toll from a boiler blast at a power plant in central India has risen to 19, a police officer said Wednesday, noting that 17 others were injured. The explosion occurred Tuesday at a facility operated by Vedanta Limited, a subsidiary of London-listed Vedanta Resources, in Chhattisgarh state&#39;s Sakti district. &quot;The death toll in the power plant blast has reached 19 whereas 17 are undergoing treatment in various hospitals,&quot; district police chief Praful Thakur told AFP. The explosion likely occurred after a pipeline burst, spewing &quot;superheated steam&quot; onto people having lunch at the time, the Indian Express newspaper said. Indian-born billionaire Anil Agarwal, chairman of Vedanta Resources, said he was &quot;distressed by the extremely tragic accident&quot;. &quot;A high-level investigation into this incident has been initiated. We will leave no stone unturned in getting to the bottom of this matter,&quot; he said in a statement. Chhattisgarh state authorities have also launched a probe, with chief minister Vishnu Deo Sai vowing the &quot;strictest possible action&quot; against those found guilty. Industrial accidents are common in India, often due to poor adherence to safety regulations and weak enforcement. A fire at a fireworks factory in western India last month killed 17 people.

India

A boiler explosion at a Vedanta power plant in central India kills 19 people and injures 17, prompting investigations into the cause.

India power plant blast death toll climbs to 19: Police

ISLAMABAD: The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has granted a license to Alibaba-backed Koko Tech Pakistan Pvt. Ltd. to operate a &quot;Buy Now Pay Later&quot; business in Pakistan. In a press release issued on Tuesday, the SECP said the development marked a significant step for Pakistan&rsquo;s digital financial ecosystem.&nbsp; Koko Tech is owned by Alibaba, making the move a notable entry by a major global technology company into Pakistan&rsquo;s fintech space. The regulator said Alibaba&rsquo;s move reflected growing international confidence in Pakistan&rsquo;s large consumer base, expanding digital economy and untapped financial services market.&nbsp; It added that Koko Tech was expected to introduce innovative, data-driven lending solutions in the Buy Now Pay Later segment by using advanced AI-driven credit assessment systems and globally tested digital infrastructure. According to the SECP, the company&rsquo;s entry would help expand access to consumer financing, particularly for young users, freelancers and small businesses that remain underserved by traditional banking channels.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2044020211641397593&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2Fnew%2F&sessionId=59cf929660b953b1a57fd64f6b4703305659807c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 897px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>The commission said the new license could also help support small and medium-sized enterprises, increase e-commerce activity and accelerate the shift toward a more inclusive, technology-led financial system. The SECP described the development as a direct inflow of foreign investment into Pakistan&rsquo;s financial sector.&nbsp; In the press release, SECP Chairman Dr Kabir Ahmed Sidhu said the entry of Alibaba Group would boost competition and innovation in Pakistan&rsquo;s fintech market.&nbsp; He added that Pakistan remains an attractive destination for international investment because of its large population, growing digital adoption and an improving regulatory framework. The licensing of KTPL comes as Pakistan seeks to deepen financial inclusion and broaden the use of digital financial services across the economy.&nbsp; Buy Now Pay Later services, which allow consumers to pay for purchases in installments, have expanded rapidly in many markets as an alternative form of short-term consumer credit, especially in online retail. The move is likely to be closely watched by Pakistan&rsquo;s banking, fintech and e-commerce sectors, as Alibaba&rsquo;s entry in the Buy Now Pay Later segment could intensify competition and spur further innovation in consumer lending and digital payments. Alibaba Group has a significant and growing presence in Pakistan. Its operations span e-commerce, digital payments, logistics, and cloud computing, including platforms such as Daraz and AliExpress.

Economy

Pakistan’s SECP grants a 'Buy Now Pay Later' license to Alibaba-backed Koko Tech Pakistan, signaling the growing confidence of foreign companies in its digital financial market.

Alibaba-backed firm granted Buy Now Pay Later license for Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Jeddah on Wednesday for an official visit to Saudi Arabia, accompanied by a high-level delegation, according to the Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office (PMO). <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; text-align: left; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 720px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2044421268162703720&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard&sessionId=602eeb1b889053ac35ca2d39b148519c845fcbff&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> PM Sharif was received at the airport by Prince Saud bin Mishaal bin Abdulaziz, Deputy Governor of the Makkah region, along with Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s ambassador to Pakistan, Nawaf bin Said Al-Malki and Pakistan&rsquo;s envoy to Riyadh, Ahmed Farooq, said the statement. <div class="fr-embed" style="text-align: left; line-height: 2;"> </div>During the visit, Sharif is scheduled to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to discuss bilateral relations and regional developments, according to the statement. The talks are expected to focus on strengthening cooperation between the two countries and exchanging views on the evolving regional situation, the statement said. Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Tariq Fatemi and foreign media coordinator Musharraf Zaidi are part of the visiting delegation, added the statement. Earlier, the announcement of the PM leaving for Jeddah came shortly after Finance Minister Aurangzeb said that Saudi Arabia has committed an additional $3 billion in deposits to Pakistan, with disbursement expected within a week, providing timely support for the country&rsquo;s external financing needs.&nbsp;Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-finance-minister-outlines-macroeconomic-outlook-reform-progress-at-uspakistan-business-council-luncheon" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings 2026</a>, the finance minister said the Kingdom has also agreed to extend its existing $5 billion deposit for a longer period, moving away from the earlier annual rollover arrangement. During his visits to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, the prime minister is expected to hold high-level meetings with the leadership of both countries to discuss bilateral cooperation and regional peace and security. In T&uuml;rkiye, the prime minister will participate in the Antalya Diplomacy Forum, where he will join a panel of leaders to present Pakistan&rsquo;s perspective on key global issues. On the sidelines of the forum, Sharif is also expected to meet Turkiye President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and other world leaders. Pakistan&rsquo;s participation in the forum reflects its commitment to constructive diplomacy, multilateral cooperation and engagement on global challenges.

Foreign Affairs

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif kicks off a four-day official tour spanning Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkiye from April 15 to 18.

Pakistan PM arrives in Saudi Arabia for talks on ties, regional issues

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&#39;s Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said Tuesday that the country&#39;s leadership is not giving up on efforts to help the US and Iran negotiate.&nbsp; &quot;We would very much like to see if we can continue to pursue the dialogue,&quot; he said during an interview with the Associated Press on the sidelines of the spring meetings of the International Monetary Fund and World Bank. &quot;We&#39;ll keep at it, and our leadership is at it.&quot; Aurangzeb said&nbsp;the&nbsp;talks marked the first direct discussion between the two nations in nearly 50 years. The finance minister said he also met this week with US officials, including Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick, to discuss trade and finance concerns. He plans to meet Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent on Friday. In a phone call with The New York Post, President Trump said Tuesday a second round of talks with Iran &quot;could be happening over the next two days,&quot; indicating that the venue could be Islamabad.

Muhammad Aurangzeb - (File Photo: Wikimedia Commons)

Pakistan's Finance Minister says Pakistan will continue to push US-Iran dialogue as talks resume, and Donald Trump signals a possible second round soon.

Pakistan won't quit US-Iran mediation, says finance minister

BEIJING: Russia&#39;s foreign minister said that his country could make up for China&#39;s energy shortages as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz is choked by the US-Israeli war with Iran, Russian state media reported Wednesday. &quot;Russia can, without a doubt, compensate for the shortfall in resources that has arisen&quot; for China and &quot;other countries that are interested in working with us&quot; Sergei Lavrov said at a news conference in Beijing, in response to a question about the Hormuz blockage. He also said that Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit China in the first half of the year, Moscow&#39;s TASS state news agency reported. Russia and China&#39;s close economic and political partnership has deepened since Moscow&#39;s 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Lavrov, who began a two-day visit to Beijing on Tuesday and met President Xi Jinping on Wednesday, characterised the bilateral relationship as &quot;unshakable in the face of any storms&quot;, Russia&#39;s TASS and RIA Novosti news agencies reported. Ties between the countries &quot;play a stabilising role in world affairs&quot; and are &quot;becoming increasingly important... for the global majority that does not want problems or turbulence&quot;, he said. Lavrov&#39;s visit comes during the same week as a string of foreign leaders meet with Xi in the Chinese capital, including To Lam of Vietnam and Pedro Sanchez of Spain.

Sergei Lavrov says Russia can offset China’s energy shortfall amid disruptions in the Strait of Hormuz, as Moscow and Beijing deepen strategic ties.

Russia can 'compensate' for China's resource gap from Iran war

Web Desk/AFP

WASHINGTON:&nbsp;Israel and Lebanon released a joint statement saying that they held &ldquo;productive discussions&rdquo; and agreed to launch direct negotiations as the two sides met in Washington, the United States said on Tuesday. &quot;The participants held productive discussions on steps toward launching direct negotiations between Israel and Lebanon,&quot; State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement. &quot;All sides agreed to launch direct negotiations at a mutually agreed time and venue,&quot; he said. The announcement came after Israeli and Lebanese envoys held more than two hours of talks mediated by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. &quot;The United States congratulated the two countries on this historic milestone and expressed its support for further talks, and for the government of Lebanon&#39;s plans to restore the monopoly of force and to end Iran&#39;s overbearing influence,&quot; Pigott said. And it &quot;affirmed that any agreement to cease hostilities must be reached between the two governments, brokered by the United States, and not through any separate track,&quot; he added. Lebanon was pulled into the region-wide Iran war on March 2 after pro-Tehran Hezbollah attacked Israel. Since then, Israeli strikes have killed more than 2,000 people and displaced more than one million, despite international calls for a ceasefire, and Israeli ground forces have invaded southern Lebanon.

Israel and Lebanon agree to launch direct negotiations after “productive” talks in Washington mediated by Marco Rubio, marking a potential step toward de-escalation.

Israel, Lebanon agree to direct negotiations after 'productive' talks: US

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&#39;s Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb said that Saudi Arabia has committed an additional $3 billion in deposits to Pakistan, with disbursement expected within a week, providing timely support for the country&rsquo;s external financing needs. Speaking to the media on the sidelines of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-finance-minister-outlines-macroeconomic-outlook-reform-progress-at-uspakistan-business-council-luncheon" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings 2026</a>, the finance minister said the Kingdom has also agreed to extend its existing $5 billion deposit for a longer period, moving away from the earlier annual rollover arrangement. <div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 672px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=eyJ0ZndfdGltZWxpbmVfbGlzdCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOltdLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X2ZvbGxvd2VyX2NvdW50X3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9iYWNrZW5kIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19yZWZzcmNfc2Vzc2lvbiI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZm9zbnJfc29mdF9pbnRlcnZlbnRpb25zX2VuYWJsZWQiOnsiYnVja2V0Ijoib24iLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X21peGVkX21lZGlhXzE1ODk3Ijp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRyZWF0bWVudCIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfZXhwZXJpbWVudHNfY29va2llX2V4cGlyYXRpb24iOnsiYnVja2V0IjoxMjA5NjAwLCJ2ZXJzaW9uIjpudWxsfSwidGZ3X3Nob3dfYmlyZHdhdGNoX3Bpdm90c19lbmFibGVkIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6Im9uIiwidmVyc2lvbiI6bnVsbH0sInRmd19kdXBsaWNhdGVfc2NyaWJlc190b19zZXR0aW5ncyI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdXNlX3Byb2ZpbGVfaW1hZ2Vfc2hhcGVfZW5hYmxlZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdmlkZW9faGxzX2R5bmFtaWNfbWFuaWZlc3RzXzE1MDgyIjp7ImJ1Y2tldCI6InRydWVfYml0cmF0ZSIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfbGVnYWN5X3RpbWVsaW5lX3N1bnNldCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOnRydWUsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9LCJ0ZndfdHdlZXRfZWRpdF9mcm9udGVuZCI6eyJidWNrZXQiOiJvbiIsInZlcnNpb24iOm51bGx9fQ%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2044247340308148616&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=6cce7b9fd498f49855a1f8e1b89c9a140954b443&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Aurangzeb said the fresh inflows would help strengthen Pakistan&rsquo;s foreign exchange reserves and support its external account, as the government aims to build reserves to around $18 billion, equivalent to about 3.3 months of import cover, by the end of the current fiscal year. He said Pakistan remains committed to meeting all external obligations on time, noting that the recent repayment of a $1.4 billion Eurobond was completed smoothly. The minister said Pakistan&rsquo;s external financing plan is well-defined and being implemented in a disciplined manner under the IMF-supported program. He added that during his visit, he held detailed talks with Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan and senior Pakistani officials to finalize the support package. Aurangzeb expressed gratitude to the Saudi leadership, particularly Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, for continued financial backing and close cooperation. He said Pakistan is receiving strong recognition from international financial institutions, including the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, as well as global investors, for its economic reforms and diplomatic engagement. The minister added that Pakistan is advancing efforts to diversify funding sources through initiatives such as the Global Medium-Term Note program and a planned Panda Bond issuance. Aurangzeb reaffirmed the government&rsquo;s commitment to macroeconomic stability, continuity of reforms, and sustained engagement with bilateral and multilateral partners.

Pakistan's Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, alongside State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmad, met Saudi Finance Minister H.E. Mohammed bin Abdullah Al-Jadaan in Washington on the sidelines of the World Bank-IMF Spring Meetings 2026.

The finance minister said the Kingdom has also agreed to extend its existing $5 billion deposit for a longer period, moving away from the earlier annual rollover arrangement.

Saudi Arabia commits $3B in additional deposits for Pakistan: Finance minister

GAZA CITY: Gaza&#39;s civil defense agency said on Tuesday that a toddler was among 10 people killed in separate Israeli strikes in the northern part of the Palestinian territory. Violence continues despite a ceasefire in the Gaza war that came into effect on October 10, with both Israel and Hamas regularly accusing each other of violations. Mahmoud Bassal, spokesman for the civil defense agency, said &quot;four people were killed, including a child and several others were injured... in a strike targeting a police vehicle&quot; in Gaza City. He identified the child as three-year-old Yahya al-Mallahi. Gaza City&#39;s Al-Shifa hospital confirmed receiving the bodies of the dead. Contacted by AFP, the Israeli army said it was looking into the details. In a statement, Gaza&#39;s interior ministry said Israeli warplanes had &quot;targeted a police vehicle&quot; in the city centre, &quot;causing several deaths and injuries.&quot; Bassal also said another person had been killed by Israeli fire in the northern Beit Lahia area earlier on Tuesday. The military said in a statement that its troops had identified an &quot;armed terrorist&quot; in the area of the so-called Yellow Line &mdash; behind which its forces have withdrawn &mdash; who approached their position. The army said he was killed in a strike, but it was unclear whether it referred to the same incident in Beit Lahia. AFP footage showed Palestinians gathering around the body of a man who was then placed on a stretcher and carried away to be buried through streets lined with rubble. Later on Tuesday evening, the civil defense agency reported that multiple people were killed in another strike near an intersection in the Al-Shati refugee camp in Gaza City. The Al-Shifa hospital confirmed receiving five bodies from &quot;an Israeli drone bombing with two missiles a group of citizens in front of warehouses for electricity generators&quot; in Al-Shati. The military did not offer an immediate response regarding the latest strike. The October ceasefire followed more than two years of war on Gaza. At least 757 have been killed in Gaza since the truce came into effect, according to the territory&#39;s health ministry, whose figures are considered reliable by the United Nations. The Israeli army says five of its soldiers have been killed in Gaza over the same period. Media restrictions and limited access in Gaza have prevented AFP from independently verifying casualty figures or freely covering the fighting.

Violence continues despite a ceasefire in the Gaza war that came into effect on October 10, with both sides accusing each other of violations; at least 757 have been killed in Gaza since the truce came into effect.

Articles by Saima Ayub