Anti-polio campaigning must continue

Courtesy:- Malik Muhammad Ashraf


To keep the campaign on track and continue it uninterrupted, the government must provide foolproof security to the polio workers

The coldblooded murders of the polio field workers in Karachi and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are yet another ranting demonstration of the bestiality and perverted philosophy of the enemies of Pakistan to achieve their pernicious objectives by all means. After their attacks on military targets, acts of terrorism in different cities of Pakistan and having failed in their attempts to sap the morale of the government and people of Pakistan in standing up to their dastardly acts, they have now diverted their attention to soft and unsuspecting targets to scare and brutalise Pakistani society. Like the attack on Malala, the killing of the polio workers has left Pakistani civil society distraught and the world at large bewilderingly stunned. World leaders, WHO, UNICEF and the UN Secretary General have strongly castigated the antics of the terrorists — rightly so — and expressed their commitment to support Pakistan in its efforts to get rid of the disease, which is very reassuring, although WHO and UNICEF have temporarily suspended their polio-related activities and withdrawn their staff from the field. The TTP has disowned the attacks, probably as a strategy because of the fear of a severe backlash like the Malala episode but they cannot camouflage their activities through such tactics or hoodwink us and the rest of the world. We know our enemies and their antics. No condemnation would be enough to decry this inhuman act against individuals serving the noble cause of immunising Pakistani children against a crippling disease like polio.


President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Ambassador for Polio Eradication Aseefa Zardari Bhutto have all condoled with the bereaved families and have not only condemned the machinations of the terrorists but also expressed their unswerving resolve to continue the polio campaign. The law-enforcing agencies and the provincial governments have been directed to ensure appropriate security for the polio workers so that no disruption takes place in furthering the objectives of this noble effort being run with the help of the international agencies to secure and safeguard the health of our future generations. Reportedly, the law-enforcing agencies in Karachi during a crackdown against the militants have killed two suspects, picked up four others and captured a large cache of arms. The governments of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have also refused to be cowed down and vowed to continue the drive against polio. The commitment to this cause by the government is commendable and reassuring. The anti-polio campaign must continue without any pause and all necessary steps taken to reassure WHO and UNICEF to send their workers back to continue this noble mission. Efforts are also needed to be made to restore the confidence of the local volunteers by making adequate arrangements for their security.

The Pakistan government aims to cover 34 million children under the National Emergency Plan 2013 by employing over 25,000 polio workers. Since the initiation of the Polio campaign by Benazir Bhutto in 1994, Pakistan has come a long way from having 20,000 polio cases in 1994 to only 56 cases in 2012. The campaign has been run successfully with the involvement of religious scholars, district khateebs and parliamentarians, an engagement that has proved successful in achieving the desired objectives. The crusade against polio remained on course until 2005 when a sinister propaganda was launched by ‘Mullah Radio’ on his illegal radio station against this programme, alleging that the campaign was a conspiracy to harm the reproductive capabilities of men and women, designed to reduce the population. Unfortunately, other Taliban-run radio stations in the tribal areas also joined the chorus. The tirade against the polio vaccination programme attained more intensity in the aftermath of the killing of Osama bin Laden, adding another dimension to the smear campaign that the drive against polio was being used as a cover by the international agencies and foreign powers for espionage. Reportedly, the Taliban have clamped a ban on the immunisation campaign against polio in Waziristan, putting the lives of more than 240,000 children at risk of contracting the disease. To keep the campaign on track and continue it uninterrupted, the government must provide foolproof security to the polio workers. Since the disease is endemic in nature, any let up or disruption in efforts to keep it rolling might destroy the entire work that has been done in this regard. It might also spill over to the neighbouring countries and possibly beyond the region, with unpleasant ramifications for Pakistani citizens desiring to travel abroad.

The incident of the killings has also been vehemently condemned by Pakistani civil society, but mere condemnation is not enough. What is the most perturbing aspect of these killings is that they occurred in a metropolitan city like Karachi and urban centres of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which indicates the ever-growing outreach and capability of the terrorists to plan and execute such sinister plans. The latest episode is a wake up call to the majority in Pakistan to show unity and stand up against the demented fringe minority trying to foist their agenda on them. Society is confronted with a formidable challenge. It is also a daunting task for the government. The menace of terrorism and the machinations of its practitioners can be thwarted only through a resolute collaborative effort of civil society and the government. The campaign of our security and law-enforcing agencies against these elements also needs to be stepped up with the unqualified support of the masses. Similarly, it is imperative to review the working of our intelligence outfits with a view to enhance their capability of penetrating the ranks of the terrorists to gather intelligence and forewarn the law-enforcing agencies about any planned attacks to be able to prevent their execution. That also underlines the need for a better coordination among different intelligence agencies. There is also an imperative need to fight the dogma on an intellectual level. In this area, politicians, the ulema and media can play a very vital role by exposing and exploding the myths about the brand of Islam that the Taliban are practising and creating awareness among the masses in regards to the desirability and inevitability to fight these evil forces to ward off an existentialist threat to the country.