Senior religious leader backs polio vaccination

PESHAWAR: A senior religious leader and a strong opponent of the efforts against polio vaccination, Mufti Laeeq Ahmad on Sunday announced his support for the polio programme and stopped his long resistance by vaccinating himself with polio drops in the provincial capital.

He announced an end to his opposition to the polio programme at a ceremony in Peshawar where the focal person to the prime minister on polio Babar bin Atta administered him polio drops.

Mufti Laeeq Ahmad is a religious leader and researcher at Madrassa Kitab-ul-Islam, Chuha Gujjar on Ring Road. He was nominated by the Shura Ahle Hadith to complete his study on polio vaccination.

Mufti Laeeq Ahmad had undertaken extensive visits and long sessions with Pakistan’s senior paediatricians, scientists, religious scholars at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Aga Khan University (AKU) and National Control Laboratory for Biologicals.

Babar bin Atta said that the vaccination clearly indicated trust of the senior religious leader in the vaccine’s safety and efficacy. He hoped that Mufti Laeeq would continue supporting the cause and help remove misconception of the parents and some religious people about the polio vaccine.

“We are optimistic of his support and will be able to remove misconception about polio vaccine. Mufti Laeeq will help overcome refusals in Peshawar to eradicate poliovirus in the region,” said the focal person. There were reports that hundreds of families had been refusing polio vaccines to their children due to the opposition of the programme by certain religious leaders, apparently due to misconception associated with the vaccination drive.