ISLAMABAD: Pakistani authorities working to eradicate polio expressed cautious optimism this week, telling donors that the country was on the path to recovery after recording alarmingly high case numbers last year, thanks to closer coordination with provinces and international partners.
Polio is a crippling disease with no cure, and multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, along with timely completion of routine immunization for children under five, are essential to building protection against the virus.
Pakistan reported 74 polio cases in 2024. So far, six children have been diagnosed with the virus in the first three months of this year. The government has planned several nationwide immunization campaigns in 2025 to address immunity gaps.
“We are on road to recovery but not yet there,” Muhammad Anwarul Haq, a senior official at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC), said during the briefing, according to a social media post by the center on Thursday.
“Working closely with provinces and partners, we will optimize gains from national campaigns scheduled in April and May besides improving essential immunization coverage in key pockets of concern,” he added.
Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication, Ayesha Raza Farooq, thanked donors for their sustained commitment to a polio-free world and acknowledged both the program’s progress and the hurdles that remain.
She urged continued efforts to close remaining immunity gaps swiftly to interrupt transmission in 2025.
Pakistan’s polio eradication program was launched in 1994, but progress has been hampered by persistent vaccine misinformation and resistance from conservative clerics who claim immunization is a foreign conspiracy. Militant violence has also targeted polio workers in parts of the country.
The donor briefing was attended by representatives of several international entities, including UNICEF, the World Health Organization, Gates Foundation and Islamic Development Bank.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s stock market recorded more than 2 percent weekly gains as it closed the weekend trading session gains on Friday, a Karachi-based securities firm said, attributing it to positive developments regarding Pakistan’s $7 billion International Monetary Fund (IMF) program.
While the benchmark KSE-100 index shed 327 points on Friday to close at 119,405 points, it witnessed a 2.5 percent growth in its volume during the week.
“This gain can be attributed to buying by mutual funds on favorable IMF program review, government’s efforts to resolve circular debt, lower electricity prices and rebound in cement prices,” Topline Securities said in its weekly review.
The Washington-based lender put all speculation about its negotiations with Islamabad to an end, when its mission chief, Nathan Porter, said last week the two sides had made “significant progress” toward reaching an accord.
The South Asian country, currently bolstered by a $7 billion facility from the IMF granted in September, is navigating an economic recovery path.
Other developments during the outgoing week were Pakistan’s current account deficit for Feb. coming in at $12 million and the T-Bill where participation of Rs1,575 billion was seen, with government raising Rs392 billion as against target of Rs800 billion.
“Increase in investor participation was observed during the week as average daily traded volume and value stood at 508 million shares (up by 51% WoW) and Rs31.5 billion (up by 43% WoW) respectively.