ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday thanked Saudi Arabia for joining hands with Pakistan and its global partners in their fight against polio as he launched a nationwide anti-polio drive, which aims to vaccinate more than 40 million children under the age of five years.
Polio is a paralyzing disease that has no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five is essential to provide children high immunity against this terrible disease.
The Pakistan polio program conducts multiple mass vaccination drives in a year, and this year’s first anti-polio vaccination campaign will formally begin on Monday, Feb. 3 and continue until Feb. 9.
PM Sharif noted that Pakistan reported over 70 cases of the virus last year, while the country has reported one polio case this year, launching the campaign by administering anti-polio vaccine to children in Islamabad.
“Now, our brotherly country, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, has again joined hands [with Pakistan and global partners] against polio and they have pumped in hundreds of millions of dollars for this purpose,” Sharif said.
“I hope we will be able to, this time around, with coordinated and outstanding team efforts, [we] will be able to eradicate this disease from the face of Pakistan.”
Pakistan reported a total of 73 polio cases in 2024. Of these, 27 were from Balochistan, 22 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 22 from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad. The country reported its first case of 2025 in Dera Ismail Khan on Jan. 22.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world where polio remains an endemic.
Immunization campaigns have succeeded in most countries and have come close in Pakistan, but persistent problems remain. In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021.
Pakistan’s polio program began in 1994 but efforts to eradicate the virus have since been undermined by vaccine misinformation and opposition from some religious hard-liners who say immunization is a foreign ploy to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western spies. Militant groups also frequently attack and kill members of polio vaccine teams.
Pakistan launches first anti-polio drive of 2025, appreciates Saudi support in disease eradication
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Pakistan launches first anti-polio drive of 2025, appreciates Saudi support in disease eradication
- Pakistan reported a total of 73 polio cases last year amid a resurgence of virus
- Shehbaz Sharif says Saudi Arabia has pumped in hundreds of millions to fight polio
Saudi Wafi Energy signs agreement to supply lubricants to Hyundai vehicles in Pakistan
- Wafi Energy Pakistan says Shell Helix HX8 0W-20 AH lubricant specifically caters to Hyundai vehicles’ requirements
- Lubricant delivers comprehensive engine protection and enhanced fuel efficiency, says Wafi Energy Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Saudi company Wafi Energy Pakistan Limited announced on Wednesday that it has inked an agreement with Hyundai’s official manufacturing partner to supply premium lubricants for the company’s vehicles in Pakistan.
Wafi Energy, an affiliate of the Asyad Group, became the majority shareholder of Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) in November 2024 and now holds approximately 87.78 percent of the total issued share capital of SPL, one of the oldest multinationals in Pakistan. The SPL has a network of over 600 sites, countrywide storage facilities and a broad portfolio of global lubricant brands.
Hyundai Nishat Motors is a joint venture among three leading international businesses: The Nishat Group, the Japan-based Sojitz Corporation and Millat Tractors Ltd. Hyundai Nishat Motors manufactures, markets and distributes Hyundai’s product line in Pakistan.
“Wafi Energy Pakistan Limited and Hyundai Nishat Motors have signed a strategic agreement for the supply of Shell lubricants for Hyundai vehicles in Pakistan,” the Saudi company said in a press release.
The contract signing ceremony in Lahore marked the launch of Shell Helix HX8 0W-20 AH, the company said.
Wafi Energy Pakistan said the lubricant is specifically designed in line with Hyundai’s technical specifications. It delivers comprehensive engine protection, enhanced fuel efficiency and optimized performance suited to local driving conditions across Pakistan, the statement said.
“Shell Helix HX8 0W-20 AH is the second co-branded lubricant introduced under the Hyundai–Shell collaboration in Pakistan, further expanding the jointly developed product range,” Wafi Energy said.
“Through this collaboration, customers can confidently rely on authentic, OEM-approved lubricants that meet the highest standards of performance and reliability.”
Wafi Energy has two retail stations in Pakistan’s Karachi and Rawalpindi cities. It has also built a 730-foot plastic road outside its Karachi head office using 2.5 tons of waste lubricant bottles.
