KARACHI: The Pakistan Polio Eradication Program paid tribute to female polio workers on Friday, said an officials statement, recognizing their dedication in high-risk areas during a ceremony in Islamabad ahead of International Women’s Day.
Pakistan remains one of the few countries where polio persists, with eradication efforts often hindered by militant attacks, misinformation and parental refusals from targeted communities.
Female health workers play a leading role in the door-to-door inoculation drives, constituting more than 58.4 percent of the polio workforce, despite operating in some of the most challenging environments.
“Today, as we commemorate International Women’s Day, I want to reaffirm our collective commitment to ensuring a safe, dignified and enabling environment for every female frontline worker,” the polio eradication program’s statement quoted Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister’s Focal Person on Polio, saying during the ceremony.
She highlighted the Pakistan Polio Programme’s implementation of an anti-harassment policy to ensure a secure and professional environment for female workers.
The event brought together national and provincial coordinators of the polio program alongside senior officials, where frontline female workers shared their experiences through video messages.
Many spoke about the challenges of convincing hesitant families while also expressing pride in their contributions to a polio-free future.
Anwarul Haq, the top official at the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC), praised their dedication, calling them the “backbone” of Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts.
“This year’s theme resonates deeply with us at the National Emergency Operations Center as we honor female polio workers who are considered as the backbone of Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts,” he said. “These women work tirelessly, often in difficult and high-risk areas, to ensure every child receives the life-saving polio vaccine.”
“Their courage and unwavering commitment reflect the incredible strength of Pakistani women,” he continued. “Empowering them is not just about recognizing their contributions: it is about strengthening our communities and ensuring a healthier, polio-free Pakistan.”
Haq stressed the importance of gender sensitivity in public health, saying that supporting women in frontline health roles helps build a more inclusive, resilient and prosperous society.
Pakistan concluded its first nationwide anti-polio campaign of 2025 last month.
So far, the country has reported six polio cases since the start of the year, with authorities planning additional vaccination rounds in April and May.
Pakistan honors female polio workers ahead of International Women’s Day
https://arab.news/v6vat
Pakistan honors female polio workers ahead of International Women’s Day
- Female health workers play a leading role in the door-to-door inoculation drives in high-risk areas
- The country’s polio eradication program calls them the “backbone” of efforts to eliminate the disease
Pakistan calls for calm after 16 people killed in Khamenei protests
- The violence came hours after Iranian authorities confirmed Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei was killed in coordinated US-Israeli strikes
- Nine people were killed in clashes in Karachi where protesters stormed US consulate, while UN offices were set ablaze in Gilgit, Skardu
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI/GILGIT/PESHAWAR: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday urged calm after at least 16 people were killed in protests linked to the killing of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in joint US-Israeli strikes.
Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the US consulate in Karachi on Sunday morning. Videos showed protesters armed with sticks smashing doors and windows. Separate footage appeared to show property inside the consulate premises set on fire, prompting police to fire tear gas at them.
In Islamabad, protesters entered the Red Zone which houses key government and diplomatic offices in the capital, prompting authorities to fire tear gas to disperse the demonstrators. Similarly, people gathered outside the press club in the northwestern city of Peshawar, from where they were marching toward the US consulate.
At least nine people were killed and 60 others sustained injuries in clashes with law enforcement outside the US consulate in Karachi, according to authorities. Seven more were killed in the northern Gilgit-Baltistan region, where clashes left 45 people injured.
“After the martyrdom of Ayatollah Khamenei, every citizen of Pakistan is saddened in the same way as the citizens of Iran are grieving,” Naqvi was quoted as saying by his ministry.
“We are all with you. We request the citizens not to take the law into their hands, and to record their protest peacefully.”
Naqvi visited different areas of Islamabad and reviewed the law-and-order situation, according to the interior ministry. He ordered foolproof security arrangements at the Diplomatic Enclave, which is home to foreign missions, in Islamabad’s Red Zone.
PROTESTERS STORM US CONSULATE IN KARACHI
Additional Inspector General Karachi Azad Khan told reporters that protesters had managed to enter the US consulate from the outer gate before police dispersed them.
“Nine people are dead while 39 injured are being treated at the Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto Institute of Trauma,” Karachi Police surgeon Dr. Summaiya Syed said in a statement.
She said seven others were injured at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center, among them five police personnel, while 14 others were receiving treatment for wounds at private hospitals in the city.
Separately, the Sindh provincial government expressed grief at the loss of lives in the clashes outside the US consulate in Karachi, saying it had constituted a high-level joint investigation committee (JIT) to carry out an impartial investigation into the incident.
“The JIT will determine the circumstances in which the incident occurred and what its causes were,” a statement by the provincial government said, adding that it respects the constitutional right of citizens to protest.
VIOLENCE IN GILGIT-BALTISTAN
In GB, protesters set fire to and vandalized several buildings, including United Nations (UN) regional offices, according to Shabbir Mir, who speaks for the GB chief minister. Religious leaders were trying to quell the protests.
“Seven people were killed and 45 were injured in today’s clashes in Gilgit,” Dr. Wajahat Hussain, a senior health official in Gilgit, told Arab News on Sunday.
Tufail Mir, a deputy inspector-general of police, told Arab News several people were injured in the Skardu district as well.
MIDDLE EAST TENSIONS
The violence came hours after Iranian authorities confirmed Khamenei was killed in coordinated strikes carried out by the US and Israel, dramatically escalating tensions in the Middle East and triggering protests in several countries.
According to US officials, the operation targeted Revolutionary Guard command facilities, air defense systems, missile and drone launch sites, and military airfields. The US military said it suffered no casualties and reported minimal damage to its bases despite what it described as “hundreds of Iranian missile and drone attacks.”
Iran retaliated by launching missiles and drones toward Israel and targeting US military installations in Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar and the UAE. The Emirati government said its air defense systems intercepted dozens of Iranian missiles and drones, but debris from the interceptions caused material damage in Abu Dhabi and Dubai, and at least one civilian, a Pakistani national, was killed. It issued rare emergency alerts urging residents to seek shelter, underscoring how the conflict has rippled far beyond Iran’s borders.
The Israeli military said dozens of Iranian missiles were fired toward Israeli territory, many of which were intercepted. Israel’s Magen David Adom rescue service said a woman in the Tel Aviv area died after being wounded in a missile strike.
