ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday launched a COVID-19 vaccination for the general public, starting with older people, as it grapples with a high degree of vaccination hesitancy among its 220 million people, even among health workers.
The drive will begin with a focus on the oldest people in the community, generally over the age of 80, Health Minister Faisal Sultan said.
“We will work our way down in coming days,” Sultan told Reuters.
According to a survey released last week, nearly half of health care staff had concerns over China’s Sinopharm vaccine, which is the only one available in Pakistan for now.
The poll of 555 medical workers conducted by Gallup Pakistan and a physicians’ association between Feb. 12 and Feb. 20 found that many health workers would prefer other vaccines.
Pakistan distributed 504,400 Sinopharm vaccine doses to provincial authorities by Feb. 20, and 230,000 front-line health workers had got a shot by Friday, Sultan said.
One woman, Nilofar Minhas, 65, was happy to get her shot in the city of Karachi.
“I’m now secured against the disease,” she said.
Pakistan has recorded 595,239 coronavirus cases and more than 13,000 deaths, with 1,786 infections and 43 deaths reported in the last 24 hours.
Pakistan has not secured any supplies from vaccine manufacturers and is largely depending on the GAVI/WHO COVAX initiative for poorer nations and donations from old ally China.
Authorities have opened up almost all of sectors of society but on Wednesday reversed a decision to allow large indoor gatherings like cinemas, theaters and marriage halls.
Schools will also be closed again for two weeks from March 15, they said.
Pakistan launches COVID-19 vaccination drive for general public, starting with elderly
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Pakistan launches COVID-19 vaccination drive for general public, starting with elderly
- Health chief says drive will begin with a focus on oldest people in the community, generally over the age of 80
- Pakistan has not secured any supplies from vaccine manufacturers, is largely depending on COVAX initiative and donations from China
EU criticizes Pakistan over jailing of rights lawyers, flags free speech concerns
- EU says the convictions of Imaan Mazari-Hazir, Hadi Ali Chattha violate freedom of expression
- Both lawyers were arrested last week over social media posts under Pakistan’s cybercrime laws
KARACHI: The European Union on Thursday criticized Pakistan over the conviction of two human rights lawyers for their social media activity, saying the ruling ran counter to freedom of expression and the independence of the legal profession, core democratic principles that Islamabad is committed to uphold under international law.
Imaan Mazari-Hazir and her husband Hadi Ali Chattha were arrested last Friday as they were on their way to a court appearance and were later remanded to two weeks in judicial custody.
Authorities accused them of violating the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) over posts on X that they said incited ethnic divisions and portrayed the military as being involved in “terrorism.” Both deny the allegations.
“The conviction of human rights lawyers Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha over social media activity goes against freedom of expression and independence of lawyers,” Anouar El Anouni, the EU’s spokesperson for foreign affairs and security policy, said in a post on X. “These are not only key democratic principles but also part of Pakistan’s international human rights commitments.”
Pakistan is one of the largest beneficiaries of the EU’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+), which grants duty-free access to most European markets in return for implementing 27 international conventions covering human rights, labor standards, environmental protection and good governance.
Pakistan’s GSP+ status came under scrutiny in the past after, in April 2021, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for an immediate review, citing concerns over violence against religious minorities, curbs on media freedom and broader human rights issues.
Earlier this week, lawyers in Pakistan’s capital went on strike and announced plans to stage a protest against the court ruling, which handed Mazari-Hazir and Chattha a cumulative 17-year sentence.
The Pakistani government has not yet responded to the EU statement.
