Religious scholars vow to support anti-polio drive

PESHAWAR: The religious scholars on Thursday announced their unwavering support for immunization and anti-polio vaccination to ensure children’s better health and protect them from lifelong disabilities.

The support was extended at a conference organised by the Provincial Department of Auqaf, Haj, and Religious Affairs, in consultation with the Muttahida Ulema Board at the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) with the support of UNICEF here.

Provincial Minister for Health Syed Qasim Ali Shah and the Provincial Minister for Auqaf, Hajj, and Religious Affairs, Sahibzada Muhammad Adnan Qadri attended the conference as special guests. Special Secretary of Health and EOC Coordinator Abdul Basit, representatives of donor organisations, officials from the Health Department, and many eminent scholars from various religious sects across the province were present on the occasion.

The religious scholars pledged to play a role in dispelling myths and misconceptions about polio vaccination at the community level. The Minister for Religious Affairs, along with religious scholars, administered polio drops to a child, officially launching the anti-polio campaign.

The main objective of organizing this conference was to bring prominent religious scholars from across the province together to seek their endorsement in advocating for polio vaccination, emphasizing its alignment with Islamic principles of community well-being and health.

Speaking on the occasion, the provincial health minister said that religious scholars can play a key role in creating awareness among the community and stressed that they should come forward for creating a favourable environment for polio vaccination as the world is awaiting us to eradicate this crippling disease. Referring to existing religious misconceptions which prove to be one of the major stumbling blocks in the vaccination of all eligible children, the health minister emphasized that the Muttahida Ulema Board platform can extend a helping hand to the government in addressing such misconceptions at the community level.

Minister of Auqaf, Hajj and Religious Affairs Sahibzada Adnan Qadri said that as polio eradication was a national emergency, the federal and provincial governments, health department, administrative machinery as well as the law enforcement agencies were actively engaged in the eradication of this crippling disease.

He said that all segments of society including the religious fraternity should extend their unclenching support to the government for this national cause. Adnan Qadri urged the religious scholars to play their active role in dispelling myths and misconceptions about the polio vaccine.

Special Secretary Health and EOC Coordinator Abdul Basit highlighted the key strategies being adopted by the programme for the vaccination of all eligible children. He said that despite putting in place a robust strategy for the eradication of this crippling disease, the programme is facing multiple critical challenges in the shape of persistent boycotts, religious misconceptions and fake finger marking which prove to be the major stumbling blocks in the way of eradicating this virus.

During the conference, the religious scholars also signed a joint declaration endorsing that polio vaccines contain no harmful ingredients and that its use is fully permissible under the Islamic principles to protect individuals from debilitating disease of polio.