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Thursday March 28, 2024

Politics corroborates with national cause

Head of PPP Media CellGreat people think alike. Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Rotary International Ambassador for Polio Eradication’s, reached out to Madam Maryam Nawaz, PML-N and Madam Reham Khan, PTI, to match endeavors to eradicate the deadly poliovirus from the country. It is amazing and indeed a worth pursuing cause to

By Akram Shaheedi
April 21, 2015
Head of PPP Media Cell
Great people think alike. Aseefa Bhutto Zardari, Rotary International Ambassador for Polio Eradication’s, reached out to Madam Maryam Nawaz, PML-N and Madam Reham Khan, PTI, to match endeavors to eradicate the deadly poliovirus from the country. It is amazing and indeed a worth pursuing cause to secure the future of the country. Both the respectable politicians will hopefully respond positively because they are women of substance and would be equally keen to get rid the country of the disease that is still attacking the children of this country. Regretfully, Pakistan is among other ten countries where this preventable disease is taking abhorrent toll. The international community was left with no choice but to impose restrictions on Pakistani citizens to travel abroad only after presenting polio vaccination certificates before embarking or after disembarking. How mortifying for Pakistan and the countrymen?
But, this is the fact and warrants multi-pronged, well thought out and cohesive policy to exterminate the disease and the stigma from the face of the country. Pakistan should spare no effort in attaining the status of a polio free country, sooner the better.
It should be treated national emergency in the real sense followed by a sustained and assiduous campaign to root out the scourge despite dangers emanating from terrorists. It should constitute a part of the counter-terrorism strategy because the perpetrators intend to bleak the future of our generation. The young generation leaders must scuttle the insidious mischief of those who are bent upon holding back our progress and prosperity.
The young leader’s appeal across the political divide will be deemed appreciable and deserves to be acknowledged. The rest of the two leaders should come forward and take up the national cause with even sincerity and commitment without taking into account the considerations of political mileage. Maryam Nawaz and Reham Khan should respond positively to the invitation of Aseefa Bhutto Zardari to espouse the cause of eradication of polio from the country to extricate it from the humiliation as being the poliovirus exporting country, an ignominy difficult to withstand.
People of Pakistan and the youth expect from them action as being the ambassadors of their aspirations. This distinction they will earn by becoming the part of the ongoing campaign. Their collective role is bound to make a qualitative and admirable difference. Their becoming the part of the movement will inculcate confidence among the new generation of their aptness and aptitude to tackle the chronic issues holistically and successfully. The young leadership should prove itself not only be collaborating despite political differences but also be seen as collaborating when the national cause is at stake. I have no doubt in mind of their inclination towards objectivity within the prism of the narrative of social responsibility.
The polio disease has direct linkage with the mindset that has been skewed up almost beyond redemption. The extremism and terrorism has taken toll in other walks of national life as well, and health of our children is no exception. The fanatic religious scholars, who are indeed the pawn of the anti-Pakistan forces, have been on overdrive to misguide the gullible masses in the remote and urban areas regarding the negative impact of the polio vaccine by projecting it as affecting the procreation of the children. Dr Shakil Afridi’s episode strengthened the hands of bigots who branded the poliovirus as the conspiracy of the West against Muslims.
The media and the government departments had launched aggressive campaigns in the past and still continuing by juxtapose the quotes of the Muslim scholars of international repute to offset the negative propaganda unleashed by the orthodox Mullha whose self-righteousness and its imposition through the barrel of gun is limitless. The mindset exemplifies the height of macho mentality, and resisting persuasion based on authentic quotes in favour of immunization endorsed by Jamia Azhar and Imam of Kaaba.
The government is advised to move swiftly of making it cognizable offence for the parents who refuse to let their children be immunized by the polio teams. The health of children should be the top priority of the elected government and it should open its heart and wallet without giving second thought stemming from the resource constraints. The international community is eager to help and indeed has been helping in a big way. But, sadly we could not come up to the expectations of the world community not because of the lack of commitment but due to the evil of extremism and terrorism. However, failure is not an option and the nation stands committed. It is redeeming feature that will inexorably lead the country to overpower the virus and the mindset at the end of the day.
The same mindset does not stop there but attack the polio teams those go around door to door to inoculate the children with polio drops. Many polio team workers have been killed right across the country especially in Fata and Karachi where most of cases of polio have been reported. The governments have been dispatching the security men to ensure the security and the safety of the polio teams but sporadic acts of violence against the teams are impeding the absolute success which is the benchmark. Rooting out the poliovirus thoroughly and comprehensively from the country is an international obligation as well and therefore it has to be underwritten without fail. We will hate to be called as citizens hailing from the country proliferating the deadly disease around the world.
Unfortunately, it is the reflection of Pakistan today as scores of polio cases reported in other countries are also traced back in Fata. The nationals of other countries who were attacked by the virus had traveled to Pakistan, Fata areas, in the past to get terrorist training at TTP centers located there, now fighting in Syria and other countries under the banner of terrorist organizations.
In Pakistan, during the PPP previous elected government, the then prime minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani established Polio Emergency Cell in the Prime Minister Secretariat and Shahnaz Wazir Ali was designated as the focal person to co-ordinate the campaign under the direct supervision of the prime minister. The prime minister directed the setting up of the framework after his meetings in Davos in February 2012 with the Director General WHO and Bill Gates who warned the prime minister that failure to control the disease would lead to travel restrictions on Pakistani citizens. Realizing the gravity of the situation, he took upon himself this responsibility. Prime minister’s direct involvement made a big difference as the polio cases in the country dropped significantly to around 58 only the same year, 2012. After the change of the government, the mechanism’s momentum was disturbed leading to surge in such cases gain. But, thankfully, National Emergency Action Plan for Eradication of Polio is in place in the Prime Minister Secretariat. But success has been impaired by the major factor of relocation of Fata and Swat people in Karachi and other parts of the country due to ongoing military operation in Waziristan and the earlier in Malakand division. The increase in the polio cases in the province of Sindh and especially in Karachi is directly linked to the exodus of the people from the terrorism plagued regions. It is worth mentioning no case of polio was reported in Karachi metropolis in 2012.
Underway military operation, Zarb-e-Azb, Waziristan, pushed out about 2.5 million IDPs consisting people of all ages including the children. It offered a good opportunity to the authorities to reach out and immunize the children who could not be inoculated before because terrorists were occupying the areas and it was not possible for polio teams to have access for the purpose. The Punjab government also geared up to ensure the immunization of the children whose parents took refuge in this province. The KP government was alive to the situation to capitalize on the situation against polio. It is reported that the KP government planned the immunization of 300,000 IDP children.
The commitment of the young leaders belonging to the major three political parties for the eradication of polio is bound to make the desirable difference. They should take the lead. It will be immensely appreciated by all sections of the society, strengthening the perception of their ability to deliver and deliver handsomely. They are the future leaders, they should prove their worth now as role model thinking and acting alike for the realization of national cause.
Akram Shaheedi
muhamadshaheeedi@yahoo.com