Opinion Polio Attack

Daily Times reported on February 27: “A policeman was shot dead on Tuesday while protecting a polio vaccination team… bringing the death toll in such attacks to 20 since December. No one has claimed responsibility for the killings. But the umbrella Taliban faction last year banned polio vaccinations in the tribal region of Waziristan,alleging the campaign was a cover for espionage. Rumours about vaccines being a plot to sterilise Muslims have also dogged efforts to tackle the highly infectious disease… Pakistan,Afghanistan and Nigeria are the only countries where polio is endemic. Polio cases in Pakistan hit 198 in 2011,the highest figure for more than a decade and the most of any country in the world,according to the UN.”

An editorial in The Express Tribune on February 28 said: “There are few more dangerous jobs in Pakistan than being a polio vaccinator… One major problem is that of adequate security. Vaccination workers,particularly in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa,complain that there is only one police escort assigned for every five or six teams of vaccination workers. Each team has two workers. On top of that,because of the obvious security threat,teams do not publicise in advance which areas they will be visiting. With no media announcements made,suspicion and hostility against the workers is further heightened when teams visit areas. The CIA did not help matters when it recruited Dr Shakil Afridi to carry out hepatitis vaccinations to collect DNA in the search for Osama bin Laden,as this affects the general perception of people carrying out vaccinations… For now,the government has to ensure that each team of vaccination workers has better security.”

TALKING TO TALIBAN

THE proposal given last month by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for peace talks with the political leaders of the country is gaining traction. Though their demand to have three top leaders,including former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif,as guarantors was declined,an all-party conference (APC) has advised immediate talks with the TTP.

Dawn reported on February 28: “Pakistan’s government should take immediate steps to initiate peace talks with Taliban militants,says a declaration by the APC called to discuss ways to restore peace in the country’s militancy-hit tribal areas. The APC,summoned by the Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) and attended by major political parties and tribal leaders,also agreed on using the platform of a grand tribal jirga for peace negotiations… The main ruling Pakistan Peoples Party and the leading opposition party,the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz,assured their complete support… Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid Secretary General Mushahid Hussain asked that if dialogue with India could be pursued,then why not with the Taliban.”

BE A SPORT

CRICKET was not the only sport played and celebrated between India and Pakistan. Other sporting contests between the two countries enjoyed immense popularity until big money began to be pumped into Indo-Pak cricket contests. Now,after hockey contests have been resumed between the neighbours,snooker matches will also see a resurrection. Dawn reported on February 27: “Pakistan snooker authorities Wednesday got clearance from the government to revive fixtures against arch-rivals India after a gap of eight years,with a series planned for next month. The neighbours have not played a snooker series since 2005,when India visited. All sporting ties were frozen after the deadly attacks on Mumbai in 2008…Pakistan Snooker and Billiards Association president Alamgeer Shaikh said… ‘our efforts have been successful and we hope that snooker series will go a long way in reviving other sports as well…’ The Indian hockey team is also scheduled to visit Pakistan for a series next month,with a return series next year.”