ISLAMABAD: As almost 90 per cent of the polio cases in the world have been reported from the Pashtoon areas or detected among the Pashtoon people in Pakistan, international experts are arriving in Islamabad to attend a workshop arranged for polio workers from the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Some health experts wondered how foreign communication experts could teach the polio workers about dealing with Pashtoon families and persuading them to vaccinate their children.

Others look at it differently and appreciated the fact that the focus of the international community was shifting towards the Pashtoon areas which have become a hub of polio virus.

An official of the Ministry of National Health Services requesting not to be identified said the training workshop would be held at the Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for polio on Sunday.

“As the issue related to Fata and KP is going to be discussed in the workshop and a future strategy would also be decided, a number of experts from the United Nations Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef) have been arriving in Pakistan to attend the workshop.”

He said the communication experts would also come from abroad to participate in the workshop.

“It is strange that the communication experts would tell the polio staff, who are Pashtoons and have been working in Fata and KP, how to deal with the Pashtoon people. It shows that we don’t have knowledge to deal with our own people,” he said.

However, another official in the ministry said it was a positive step that international experts had been arriving Pakistan.

“It shows that the international community is really concerned about the issue of polio in Pakistan and is making efforts to eradicate the crippling disease from the country,” he said.

When contacted, the head of the EOC for polio, Mazhar Nisar, told Dawn that officials who had been dealing with polio in Fata and KP would participate in the workshop.

In reply to a question, Mr Nisar confirmed that Unicef experts from New York and the regional office in Nepal were arriving in Pakistan to attend the workshop.

“I take it positively as the international experts have the experience to work in so many countries and will share their knowledge and experiences with the officials who have been working in Fata and KP,” he said.

“Moreover, the international experts would also learn from the officials who have been working in Fata and KP.” He added that Unicef experts frequently visited Pakistan.

After the establishment of the EOC for polio, it is mandatory for all the stakeholders to carry out their activities under one roof at the EOC, the official added.

Published in Dawn, December 13th, 2014