Mayor Karachi, Barrister Murtaza Wahab, and Commissioner Karachi, Syed HasanNaqvi, have jointly urged religious scholars and public health experts to assist the government in its efforts to eradicate polio from the country. In a meeting held at the Commissioner Karachi’s office with religious scholars and clerics on Wednesday, both Wahab and Naqvi reiterated their call for collaboration in the fight against polio. The clerics expressed their full cooperation and offered suggestions for the polio eradication campaign, affirming their belief in the legitimacy of anti-polio efforts. Barrister MurtazaWahab emphasized that today’s meeting was convened at the directive of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah.
The Sindh government is determined to eradicate polio from the country and is actively engaged in anti-polio efforts. The government will seek advice from religious scholars, educationalists, social workers, and experts from various fields in this endeavor and will consult them in every initiative. He pointed out that the challenge lies in reaching the 33,000 families who have so far refused polio vaccinations, emphasizing the need for collective efforts to address this issue.
The polio eradication campaign in Pakistan began in 1994 under the leadership of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, who administered polio drops to her youngest daughter, Aseefa Bhutto, to kickstart the campaign. Wahab stressed the importance of preparing refusers in Karachi to ensure the success of the polio eradication efforts.
It was decided that a meeting would be held between religious scholars, influential individuals, Mayor Karachi, and Commissioner Karachi to prepare strategies for engaging refusers effectively. It was also decided to launch an awareness campaign featuring messages from religious scholars to encourage vaccination.
