More than 4.5 million parents across Pakistan have given consent for HPV vaccination for their daughters as the national campaign continues through 27 September 2025, marking a major step in efforts to prevent cervical cancer.
The State Minister for National Health, Dr. Malik Mukhtar Ahmad Bharath, visited the vaccination site at Islamabad Model School for Girls, G-6/1-3, to observe the campaign in action. The visit was arranged by UNICEF in collaboration with the Federal Directorate of Immunization (FDI), MoNHSR&C, and drew senior officials and partners who reaffirmed their commitment to the campaign.
Participants at the event included Dr. Soofia Yunus, Director General of FDI; Dr. Khurram Akram, Director (Technical), FDI Islamabad; Ms. Sharmeela Rasool, Deputy Country Representative, UNICEF Pakistan; Ms. Ellen Thon, Deputy WHO Representative, Pakistan; Dr. Rashida Batool, District Health Officer; and Ms. Mehreen Balooch, Assistant Commissioner ICT, who highlighted the joint national and international effort to protect eligible girls.
Addressing those present, Dr. Bharath said, “This campaign is more than a vaccination drive – it is a promise of a healthier future for our daughters. Every girl vaccinated is a life protected, a family safeguarded, and a future secured.” He stressed that cervical cancer is the third most common cancer among women in Pakistan and reiterated that the HPV vaccine is a safe, effective and scientifically proven tool to prevent the disease.
Dr. Bharath also reassured parents that the HPV vaccine is halal and has been endorsed by leading Islamic scholars, noting its inclusion in national immunization schedules of Muslim-majority countries such as Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Malaysia, Qatar, Bangladesh and Indonesia. He cited the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in highlighting that increasing HPV coverage averts more deaths per person vaccinated than many other immunization activities.
The campaign supports the World Health Organization’s Cervical Cancer Elimination Initiative and is being rolled out in three phases. Phase 1, from 15–27 September 2025, covers Punjab, Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Islamabad Capital Territory. Phase 2 will expand to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2026, and Phase 3 will reach Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan in 2027. Authorities aim to reach 90% of girls aged 9–14 years in Phase 1 regions by the end of 2025 and to sustain coverage through routine immunization.
Dr. Bharath praised the Ministry of National Health Services, the Federal Directorate of Immunization, WHO, UNICEF, Gavi, provincial health departments, teachers, frontline health workers, community mobilizers, civil society organizations and religious leaders for their roles in the campaign. He urged parents to take advantage of the free HPV vaccination, emphasizing that protecting girls today safeguards their health, education and future contribution to society.
