PESHAWAR: Pakistan on Friday wrapped up a five-day vaccination campaign against polio in the former Taliban stronghold of South Waziristan and elsewhere in the country amid a surge in cases, officials said.
Vaccinations started on Monday, aiming to have about 800,000 children inoculated. Fortunately during this campaign, there were no reports of militant attacks on polio teams or police escorting them, said Aimal Riaz Khan, a spokesman for the polio emergency center in the northwest.
Medical workers participating in the drive also urged parents and families to abide by social distancing regulations to avoid a spike in coronavirus cases.
Pakistan is one of three countries in the world where polio — a disabling and life-threatening disease caused by the polio virus — is still endemic. The other two are Afghanistan and Nigeria.
The Taliban and other militants in Pakistan often attack polio teams and police escorting them, claiming the anti-polio drive is part of an alleged Western conspiracy to sterilize children or collect intelligence.
Pakistan had hoped to eliminate polio by 2018, when only 12 cases were reported. But last year saw a surge and so far this year, 108 cases have been registered.
Khan said the polio spike came after February, when Pakistan halted anti-polio campaigns amid increasing coronavirus infections.
Pakistan has reported more than 270,000 infections, including 5,763 deaths from COVID-19, the illness caused by the new virus.
Pakistan wraps up anti-polio drive amid surge in cases
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Pakistan wraps up anti-polio drive amid surge in cases
- Pakistan is one of three countries in the world where polio is still endemic
- Officials say the polio spike came after February when Pakistan halted anti-polio campaigns amid increasing coronavirus infections
Pakistan’s president defends ongoing strikes in Afghanistan, urges Kabul to dismantle militants
- Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday
- Pakistan’s military says it is only targeting Afghan military installations to avoid civilian casualties
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s president on Monday defended his country’s ongoing military strikes in neighboring Afghanistan, saying Islamabad tried all forms of diplomacy before targeting militants operating from Afghan territory, and called on the Taliban government in Kabul to disarm groups responsible for attacks in Pakistan.
Pakistan earlier said it is in “open war” with Afghanistan, alarming the international community. The border area remains a stronghold for militant organizations including Al-Qaeda and the Daesh (Islamic State) group.
“(The Afghan Taliban) must choose to dismantle the terror groups that survive on conflict and its war economy,” Asif Ali Zardari said during a speech to lawmakers, adding that “no state accepts serial attacks on its soil.”
Afghanistan on Thursday launched attacks in retaliation for Pakistani airstrikes the previous Sunday. Since then, Pakistan has carried out operations along the border, with Information Minister Attaullah Tarar claiming the killing of 435 Afghan forces and the capture of 31 Afghan positions.
Kabul has denied such claims.
In Afghanistan, the deputy government spokesman Hamdullah Fitrat said Pakistan’s military fired mortar shells at a refugee camp in eastern Kunar province, killing three children and injuring three others.
Afghanistan’s defense ministry said Afghan forces carried out strikes targeting a Pakistani military facility near Paktia province, causing “substantial losses and heavy casualties.”
Pakistan’s military did not respond to questions. It has said Pakistan is only targeting Afghan military installations to avoid civilian casualties.
Pakistan has witnessed a surge of violence in recent months and blames it on the outlawed Pakistani Taliban, known as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan or TTP. It operates both inside Pakistan and from Afghan territory.
Islamabad accuses Afghanistan’s Taliban government of providing safe havens for the TTP, which Kabul denies.
The latest cross-border fighting ended a ceasefire brokered by Qatar and Turkiye in October. The two sides failed to reach a permanent agreement during talks in Istanbul.
Zardari reiterated Pakistan’s call for talks, saying, “We have never walked away from dialogue.”
The Pakistani leader again accused Afghanistan of acting as a proxy for India by sheltering militant groups.
“Stop being used by another country as a battlefield for their ambitions,” he said.
Zardari cited a recent report from the United Nations Security Council’s monitoring team that described the presence of militant groups in Afghanistan as an extra-regional threat.
