PESHAWAR, Oct 10: The Peshawar High Court on Tuesday directed the provincial health department to have three samples of polio drops tested in an international-level laboratory.

A bench comprising Justice Ijazul Hassan and Justice Dost Mohammad Khan directed the provincial health secretary to collect the samples in the presence of a judicial magistrate.

The bench also directed that the samples should be sent to a recognised lab, preferably the National Institute of Health (NIH), and its report be submitted to the court within a month.

The court was hearing a writ petition filed by Advocate Ghulam Nabi seeking closure of the polio eradication programme in the country, claiming that the vaccine affected the human reproductive system.

The petitioner claimed that some scientists had found that the polio vaccine contained a harmful toxic — Estrogen — which had a direct effect on the human reproductive system. He called for suspending the anti-polio programme till disposal of the petition.

Advocate Essa Khan appeared for the petitioner and contended that the supply of contaminated vaccine was not only against Articles 4, 9 and 35 of the Constitution, which guaranteed protection of life and family, but also violated the UN Charter, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UN Convention on Civil and Political Rights, the European Convention on Human Rights, etc.

He wondered why Estrogen, which had nothing to do with the eradication of polio, was included in the vaccine.

The additional advocate general, Saeed Khan Shangla, appeared for the government and contended that the Polio Eradication Programme was for the welfare of the people and had no harmful hormone in it.

The bench observed that it would be appropriate to test the drops following which it could be stated whether the said hormone was traced in it or not.

The petitioner’s counsel stated that how could it be ascertained that actual polio drops had been tested.

The bench directed that the samples of drops should be collected in the presence of a magistrate and sealed before being sent to the laboratory.

The petitioner provided copies of different medical researches claiming that they proved his contentions correct.

The petitioner has claimed that in 1995 the Supreme Court of Philippines had ordered halting, on the request of the Catholic Women’s League of the Philippines, a Unicef anti-tetanus programme as the vaccine was laced with an element which permanently causes women to be unable to sustain pregnancy.