Pakistan, June 25 -- Smiles from the faces of children had been snatched by stunted growth, forced labour, absence of schools, absence of play and a broken juvenile justice system, lamented former Senator Farhatullah Babar on Monday.

Speaking at a function organized by the organisation "Save the Children" at a local hotel in Islamabad, he maintained that children were abandoned to their fate in conflict zones by a state-driven more by security paranoia rather than public welfare.

In 1990, he added, Pakistan had promised the international community to set up a child rights commission.

It had taken over 27 years to make legislation for this purpose last year, Babar noted.

Despite legislation, wailed, the Commission was not yet set up be...