ISLAMABAD: Maulana Fazlur Rehman, leader of a prominent Pakistani religious party, has met Afghanistan’s interim interior minister Sirajuddin Haqqani and discussed with him internal and external stability of both countries, Rehman’s party said on Friday.
Rehman, who heads the Jamiat Ulema Islam (JUI) party, has been on a visit to Afghanistan since Jan. 7 to hold talks with Taliban officials at a time when ties between Pakistan and Afghanistan are at their lowest ebb due to the rising number of militant attacks in Pakistan.
The Pakistani cleric advocated for strong bilateral relations between both countries against the backdrop of his country’s decision to deport large numbers of “illegal immigrants,” mostly Afghans, in the wake of a surge in deadly attacks, including suicide bombings.
In his meeting with Haqqani, the JUI leader was apprised of the internal security situation of Afghanistan, his party said in a statement.
“The purpose of our visit is to bring internal and external stability in the two countries,” Rehman was quoted as telling the Afghan interior minister. “An increase in trade between the two countries will lead to peace and prosperity.”
The Afghan interior minister expressed his country’s desire to have cordial ties with Pakistan.
“[We] want to move forward through cooperation and talks between Pakistan and Afghanistan on border issues,” Haqqani was quoted as saying.
While the JUI leader, along with a delegation, held talks in Kabul, the Pakistani government distanced itself from the visit.
“Maulana Fazlur Rehman has gone to Afghanistan in a private capacity,” Mumtaz Zahra Baloch, a spokesperson of the Pakistan foreign office, said at a weekly press briefing on Thursday. “The government is not supporting his visit in any way.”
Asked if Islamabad intended to hold talks with the Pakistani Taliban, she said Pakistan was not “interested in dialogue with the TTP (Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan) which has carried out several attacks in the country.”
The militant group, which is said to have sanctuaries in Afghanistan, is separate from but a close ally of the Afghan Taliban.
Over the last one year, Pakistan has repeatedly asked the Afghan Taliban to prevent the TTP from using their soil to carry out attacks against Pakistan. Kabul denies the use of its territory by any militant group.
Pakistani religious party leader discusses internal, external stability with Afghan interior minister
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Pakistani religious party leader discusses internal, external stability with Afghan interior minister
- Maulana Fazlur Rehman is on a visit to Afghanistan since Sunday where he has met top Taliban leaders
- Pakistan has chosen to distance itself from the visit, says Rehman undertook it in a ‘personal capacity’
Pakistan vaccinates over 44.3 million as last polio drive of 2025 enters final day
- Anti-polio drive is being conducted simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan, say health authorities
- Pakistan has vaccinated over 22.9 million children in Punjab and 10.4 million in Sindh provinces
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani health volunteers have vaccinated a total of 44.3 million children against the poliovirus disease in the last six days, health authorities said on Sunday as the nationwide drive against the disease enters its last day today.
The seven-day anti-polio campaign was launched on Dec. 15, targeting children under the age of five. It is being conducted simultaneously in Pakistan and Afghanistan, according to Pakistan’s National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) which oversees eradication efforts.
Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan are the only two countries where wild poliovirus transmission has never been interrupted, keeping global eradication efforts at risk. The virus, which can cause irreversible paralysis, has no cure and can only be prevented through repeated oral vaccination.
“Today is the final day of the last national polio campaign of 2025,” the NEOC said in a statement. “In six days, over 44.3 million children have been vaccinated.”
Giving a breakdown of the numbers, the EOC said approximately 22.9 million children have received polio drops in Pakistan’s eastern Punjab province, over 10.4 million in Sindh, 7.1 million in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province and around 2.54 million children in Balochistan.
In Pakistan’s capital Islamabad, over 450,000 children received polio drops while in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, over 274,000 children have been vaccinated, the EOC said.
In Azad Jammu & Kashmir, over 714,000 children received polio drops.
Pakistan has logged 30 polio cases so far in 2025, underscoring the fragility of progress against the virus. The country recorded 74 cases in 2024, a sharp rise from six cases in 2023, reflecting setbacks caused by vaccine hesitancy, misinformation and access challenges in high-risk areas.
Health officials say insecurity remains a major obstacle. Polio workers and their security escorts have repeatedly been targeted in militant attacks, particularly in parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, complicating efforts to reach every child.
Natural disasters, including flooding, have further disrupted vaccination campaigns in recent years.
“Parents and communities are urged to welcome polio workers at their doorsteps,” the EOC said.
