Islamabad on 19 October 2025 saw members of the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights press for urgent legislative measures to eliminate polio from Pakistan. The meeting, led by Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan, brought together parliamentarians, provincial health officials, National Assembly draftsmanship, finance and health officers, and civil society representatives to discuss a focused lawmaking agenda for polio eradication.
The session highlighted the need for a comprehensive Polio Eradication Act, mandatory vaccination policies, and state support mechanisms for polio-affected children. Delegates stressed that legal incentives to encourage vaccination, rather than punitive approaches, would help rebuild parental confidence and strengthen trust in immunization programmes.
Capt. (R) Anwar-ul-Haq, National Coordinator of the Polio Program, presented epidemiological trends from 2021–2025 and identified five priority zones demanding immediate attention. He reported an overall national decline in Wild Polio Virus type 1 cases with no cases recorded since September 2025, while warning of a concentration of recent detections in South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which accounts for over half of recent cases.
Parliamentarians and civil society participants underscored the practical barriers to full vaccine coverage: population movement, weak federal–provincial coordination, gaps in frontline worker training, limited monitoring in peripheral districts, and rising refusal rates in high-risk urban centres. Attention was drawn to Karachi and Hyderabad alongside South KP as districts with persistent hesitancy and operational hurdles.
The meeting advocated a child-centred, community-driven approach to polio eradication that addresses underweight and medically vulnerable children with tailored strategies. Proposals included establishing mothers’ committees at the grassroots level to counter misinformation, expanding routine immunization, and sustaining community engagement through storytelling and media campaigns to restore public trust.
Operational recommendations emphasized strengthening cold-chain logistics, improving monitoring and accountability for polio teams, and considering targeted vaccination of young adults who may act as carriers. Participants also called for harmonised provincial legislation, visible political ownership, and legislative incentives that reward uptake and participation.
Attendees included parliamentary secretaries Rana Ansar, Farah Naz Akbar, and Saba Sadiq, Member Dr. Shazia Sobia Aslam Soomro, Sindh Parliamentary Secretary for Health Muhammad Qasim Soomro, and National Assembly Draftsman Tahir Farooq, along with officials from the Health and Finance Divisions. The caucus committed to follow-up work on drafting legislation and coordinating with provinces and partners to convert the policy direction into effective, on-the-ground action for polio eradication.
