MANSEHRA: The officials of district administration, health department and World Health Organisation held talks with ulema here on Sunday and urged them to play a proactive role in bringing down polio refusal cases in the district.

The meeting held at the new circuit house was attended by the local ulema, deputy commissioner Iqbal Hussain, district health officer Dr Shahzada Ali, WHO representative Dr Ayesha and Aziz Memon of Rotary Club.

Mr Hussain said that polio drops being administered to children saved them from the crippling disease and never caused impotency.

“This is the core message you have to deliver to your fellow ulema who are against administering polio drops to children,” he said.

Dr Ali said that currently only Pakistan and Afghanistan were facing the challenge to eradicate this crippling disease and the ulema should come forward and join hands with the health department in this noble mission to make Pakistan a polio-free country.

Mr Memon said that smallpox was once the deadliest disease and when the international community joined hands in 1960s it was eradiated.

He said that ulema and religious scholars should spread the message of polio-free Pakistan and convince those still reluctant to administer polio drops to their children.

Maulana Amir said that there was no ingredient in the polio vaccine which caused impotency among its users.

OLD ENMITY SETTLED: A jirga settled a long running enmity between two families which had claimed lives on both sides.

The jirga led by federal minister Sardar Yousuf was attended by heads of both the families, including Sardar Raja Wali Jan and Sardar Aurangzeb.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Yousuf said that pardoning each other was the greatest worship and Allah gave bounties to those maintaining such a brotherhood.

He said that both the families had forgiven each other and committed to live peacefully.

Published in Dawn January 2nd, 2017