Islamabad, July 15, 2013 - Parliamentary leadership of leading Political Parties of Pakistan re-affirmed their commitment to eradicate polio from Pakistan. Leaders of parliamentary parties were gathered together at the PILDAT Follow-Up meeting of All Parties Conference (APC) on Polio here in Islamabad today.

Leadership and Representatives of the political parties currently part of the 14th National Assembly participated in the follow-up meeting on Eradication of Polio from Pakistan including the Balochistan National Party - Mengal (BNP-M); Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Samiulhaq Group)-JUI (S); Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM); Pakistan Muslim League Functional (PML-F); Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarian (PPPP); Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-(PTI); Qaumi Watan Party-(QWP); Awami Jamhuri Itehad Pakistan (AJIP) and National Party (NP).

Political Parties which participated in the meeting unanimously agreed to the right of all children in Pakistan to vaccination and the duty of the Government to ensure no child is left un-immunized against vaccine-preventable diseases. They agreed to stand ready to support Government at all levels to achieve goal of polio eradication from the country.

Party leaders and representatives also condemned all acts of violence against healthcare workers. They demanded to make all efforts to ensure that all healthcare workers are given proper security so that they can perform their duty to the best of their abilities.

Political leaders and representatives also urged the Government to make all efforts to access the 250,000 children in North and South Waziristan that are continually denied access to anti-polio vaccines due the ban on vaccination. They also urged the Government to make all efforts to improve routine immunization systems throughout the country.

Earlier welcoming the political leaders, Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, President PILDAT, said that Pakistan is among one of the three polio-endemic countries in the World along with Afghanistan and Nigeria. Sharing the number of Polio cases in Pakistan for the past years, Mr. Mehboob said that there were 144 cases of Polio found in 2010, 198 cases in 2011and 58 cases in 2012. Since January 2013 to date, a total of 21 polio cases have been reported. PILDAT wants Political Parties to highlight the negative impact of Polio on population.

Dr. Shamsher Khan and Dr. Obaid Ul Islam from Polio Eradication Initiative jointly shared Polio Eradication Updates in Pakistan. Speaking about the National Emergency Action Plan-NEAP they shared that this programme translates high level government oversight and ownership into meaningful accountability at district and union council levels. They added that NEAP ensures highest quality polio vaccination in the high risk districts and Union Councils and Populations. They also shared that Central Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA are serious threats for the progress and efforts made for eradication of polio. Situation in Gaddap town is also a serious risk for polio spread in Karachi. Low morale of health workers and insecurity and threat to them are also major issues for eradication of Polio from the country.

Parliamentary Leaders and Political Parties representatives who participated in the follow-up meeting included Mr. Usman Khan Tarrakai, MNA, Parliamentary Leader of Awami Jamhuri Itehad Pakistan (AJIP), Mr. Abdul Rauf Mengal, Former MNA, Balochistan National Party - Mengal (BNP-M), Moulana Hamid ul Haq Haqqani, Mr. Irfan ul Haq, Mr. Israr Madni and Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (Samiulhaq Group) (JUI (S)), Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan, MNA , Saman Sultana Jafri, MNA, Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), Dr. Yasin Baloch and Mr. Liaqat Shawani, National Party (NP); Mr. Meer Mohammad Khokhar, and Mr. Nadeem Ahmed Mirza, Pakistan Muslim League Functional (PML-F); Mr. Mohammad Ayaz Soomro, MN, Pakistan Peoples Party Parliamentarians (PPPP); Dr. Raja Aamer Zaman, MNA, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI); Ms. Anisa Zeb Tahirkhaili and Meraj Hamayun Khan, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP).

PILDAT organised the Follow-Up meeting with Parliamentary Leaders and Political Party Representatives on Polio Eradication in association with UNICEF, Pakistan under the Project “To Raise Awareness among Parliamentarians to Enhance the Effectiveness of Anti-Polio".