GHALANAI: Every effort would be made to administer anti-polio drops to each and every child in Mohmand tribal district during the anti-polio campaign starting on Jan 13 (Monday).

This was stated by deputy commissioner Iftikhar Alam while talking to journalists at the inaugural ceremony of the polio campaign here on Saturday.

The deputy commissioner along with additional deputy commissioner Syed Saiful Islam and district health officer Hayat Khan Afridi administered anti-polio drops to children.

After the ceremony, an awareness walk was held starting from the deputy commissioner’s office and ending at the district courts.

The participants, who were led by the deputy commissioner, were carrying banners and placards inscribed with anti-polio slogans.

Deputy commissioner Iftikhar Alam urged mediapersons to play their due role in creating awareness about deadly polio disease in the tribal district.

He recalled that a polio case had surfaced in the district in 2010-11, and now after eight years a new case was reported form Biazai tehsil. He said the anti-polio drive would be conducted in all the eight tehsils of the tribal district. “There is no ‘no-go’ area in Mohmand,” he claimed.

District health officer Hayat Afridi said 92,463 children would be vaccinated during the drive. He said about 387 mobile, 30 fixed and nine transit teams had been set up to carry out door-to-door campaign. He said that 87 supervisors had also been appointed to make the campaign a success.

Dr Khan said the district administration had provided foolproof security to the polio teams. Polio communication officer Mohammad Younis said they had covered all the refusal cases in the district.

TRIBESMEN, JOURNALISTS PRAISED: The tribesmen and mediapersons have played key role in restoration of peace in the Mohmand tribal district, says Commandant Mohmand Rifles Col Mohammad Jamil.

Talking to journalists after a meeting with the media men at the Mohmand Rifles headquarters on Saturday, he said security forces would safeguard the ideological and geographical borders of the country at every cost.

President of the press club, Gul Mohammad Mohmand led the delegation.

Published in Dawn, January 12th, 2020