ISLAMABAD: At least three people were injured in a blast outside the Pakistani Consulate General in Afghanistan’s eastern city of Jalalabad, Dr. Mohammad Faisal, Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday.
In a tweet posted late on Sunday night, he added that all the Pakistani staff were safe after an improvised explosive device (IED) went off outside the consulate.
“IED exploded outside holding area of our Consulate General in Jalalabad. All Pakistani staff are safe. One policeman and two applicants are reportedly wounded,” he said, adding that Islamabad was in “contact with Afghan authorities to ensure strengthened security for Consulate General’s premises and personnel.”
In September 2018, Pakistan had shut down operations at the consulate in Jalalabad for a few weeks over alleged interference by the provincial governor and due to a lack of security.
Three injured in explosion outside Pakistan Consulate General in Jalalabad
Three injured in explosion outside Pakistan Consulate General in Jalalabad
- All staff members are safe, Foreign Office says
- Islamabad in touch with Kabul to ensure maximum security
Pakistan to launch last 2025 anti-polio nationwide drive targeting 45 million children next week
- Over 400,000 frontline health workers will participate in Dec. 15-21 nationwide polio vaccination campaign, say authorities
- Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world, the other being Afghanistan, where wild poliovirus remains endemic
KARACHI: Pakistan will kick off the last nationwide anti-polio vaccination campaign of 2025 targeting 45 million children next week, the National Emergencies Operation Center (NEOC) said on Monday, urging parents to coordinate with health workers during the drive.
The campaign takes place days after Pakistan launched a nationwide vaccination drive from Nov. 17-29 against measles, rubella and polio. Pakistan said it had targeted 22.9 million children across 89 high-risk districts in the country with oral polio vaccination drops during the drive.
Over 400,000 health workers will perform their duties during the upcoming Dec. 15-21 nationwide polio vaccination campaign, the NEOC said in a statement.
“Parents are urged to cooperate with polio workers and ensure their children are vaccinated,” the NEOC said. “Complete the routine immunization schedule for all children up to 15 months of age on time.”
Health authorities aim to vaccinate 23 million children in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, over 7.2 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, over 2.6 million in Balochistan, more than 460,000 in Islamabad, over 228,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan and more than 760,000 children in Pakistan-administered Kashmir during the seven-day campaign, it added.
Pakistan is one of only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic.
Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the Oral Polio Vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, alongside timely completion of all routine immunizations.
Islamabad’s efforts to eliminate poliovirus have been hampered by parental refusals, widespread misinformation and repeated attacks on anti-polio workers by militant groups. In remote and volatile areas, vaccination teams often operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have also been targeted and killed in attacks.
