ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s de facto health minister has said the government did not as yet have a “final agreement” with China’s Sinopharm to acquire vaccine doses, Pakistani media reported on Friday.
The health chief’s admission raises alarming questions about Pakistan’s plans to vaccinate its 220 million population as it battles a deadly second wave of the coronavirus.
Pakistan said last month it would purchase 1.2 million COVID-19 vaccine doses from Sinopharm in the first official confirmation of a vaccine purchase by the South Asian country.
But Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Health, Dr. Faisal Sultan, told Pakistan’s The News in an interview that while Sinopharm had submitted its data with the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) and health authorities were negotiating with the firm, there was no final agreement on the supply of the vaccine as yet.
He said the government had not placed any final order yet to acquire COVID-19 vaccines from any country, nor had any vaccine manufacturers accepted Pakistan’s request to supply the doses.
“Although, we are striving hard to get the first batch of COVID-19 vaccine at the earliest for our frontline workers and others but the final order has not yet been placed and accepted [by any vaccine manufacturer],” Sultan told The News, adding that no exact date could be given on when Pakistan would have the vaccine.
He said health authorities and an expert committee were studying various options to acquire one or more “safe and effective” vaccines for the public.
“The second vaccine candidate is Cansino, whose trials are currently underway and they are a couple of weeks away from submitting their data to us,” Sultan said. “We are also interested in Russian vaccine Sputnik V, who have submitted some data but we have sought more data from them.”
Negotiations were also ongoing, Sultan said, with the British-Swedish manufacturer Astrazeneca.
No final deal yet with China’s Sinopharm on COVID-19 vaccine — Pakistan health chief
https://arab.news/chxmd
No final deal yet with China’s Sinopharm on COVID-19 vaccine — Pakistan health chief
- Dr. Faisal Sultan says government has not placed any final order yet to acquire COVID-19 vaccines, no manufacturers have accepted Pakistan’s request so far
- Says Sinopharm submitted data with the drug regulatory authority, health authorities now negotiating with the firm but no final agreement yet
Islamabad says over 580 Afghan Taliban militants killed as Pakistan, Afghanistan fighting continues
- Clashes between the two countries began on Feb. 26 when Afghan forces launched an attack on Pakistani military installations
- Islamabad has since been pounding parts of Afghanistan where it says militant targets are present, Kabul denies the allegation
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has killed 583 Afghan Taliban fighters, wounded more than 795 and struck 64 locations inside Afghanistan in air attacks, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said on Sunday, as fighting between the two neighbors entered the second week.
Clashes between the two countries began on Feb. 26 when Afghan forces launched a surprise attack on Pakistani military installations along their shared border.
Afghanistan said the assault was in retaliation for Pakistan’s earlier airstrikes in February on what Islamabad described as militant camps inside Afghanistan.
“Summary of Afghan Taliban losses: 583 Killed, 795+ Injured, 242 Check posts destroyed, 38 Posts captured & destroyed, 213 tanks, armored vehicles, artillery guns destroyed,” Tarar said on X.
The statement came hours after Pakistan’s security forces successfully foiled an infiltration attempt by militants belonging to the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), also known as the Pakistani Taliban, along the Pakistan–Afghanistan border in the
Chaman sector, according to a security official. The group, estimated to comprise three to four militant formations, attempted to breach the border fence under the cover of darkness.
“Troops detected the movement in time and engaged the militants as they attempted to cut through the border fence,” said the security official, seeking anonymity. “During the exchange of fire, one foreign terrorist was killed while the remaining militants fled the area.”
Pakistan accuses Kabul of sheltering militant groups such as the TTP on its soil and facilitating attacks against Pakistan. Afghanistan denies the allegations and has urged Islamabad to address its security challenges without blaming Kabul.
Afghanistan has called for dialogue to resolve the conflict. Pakistan, however, has rejected talks with Kabul, saying its operation “Ghazab Lil Haq” — meaning Wrath for Truth — will continue until its objectives are achieved.
Since the conflict began, diplomatic efforts have intensified, with several countries and international bodies, including the European Union and the United Nations, urging restraint and calling for talks.
