ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif expressed his resolve to defeat polio and said on Wednesday any negligence in this regard shall be considered a crime against future generations, Radio Pakistan reported.
The premier was addressing the Steering Committee on polio eradication and vowed to make Pakistan polio-free in six months. He instructed all the provinces to take this matter up with seriousness, adding that it was the future of the nation's children at stake.
Nawaz said the federal government, armed forces and civil society stand united in the country's fight against polio.
The premier said Pakistan shares the international community's concerns on polio, but that the world should also understand the issues faced by the country. "We face challenges like inaccessibility, terrorism and misconceptions in tribal areas about the campaign," he added.
Pakistan has faced many problems in the anti-polio drive as health workers have been targeted by the militants, the premier said.
Nawaz also said that polio vaccination of international travelers was in compliance with international health regulations.
He met with chief ministers of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan in this regard and urged them to utilise all resources for eradicating polio in their respective provinces. During the meeting, the chief ministers informed the premier about their efforts and plans for controlling the virus as well as immunisation campaigns.
The chief ministers told Prime Minister Nawaz that extra security measures were being taken for the protection of polio teams.Nawaz assured Islamabad's full support to the provincial governments in the campaign against polio.
