17 parents arrested for refusing drops

City district administration convinced over 2,000 at meeting

PESHAWAR: The city district administration arrested 17 parents for refusing to administer polio drops to their children on Saturday. The arrest warrants were issued for at least 200 parents on the same day.

The district administration officials held a meeting with people from theses. The administration met at least 2,239 parents who had refused to get their children inoculated during polio drives.

An official of the district administration told The Express Tribune the additional commissioners as well as the revenue staff members convinced 2,022 parents to get their children immunised. However, 17 parents refused and were put behind bars.

“Arrest warrants were issued against 200 others,” he added.

When contacted, DC Riaz Mehsud said the refusal cases had reduced from 18,000 to 300. However, he added, the figure needed to be brought down to zero since the future of the nation was at stake.

“Other [aid] organisations have been offering their services and we need to help them since whatever they are doing, they are doing for us,” he said.

According to the official, the district administration was keeping everything in mind and was following a strategy it recently adopted.

“It’s me who faces questions in meetings and I’m responsible to answer the [officials concerned],” Mehsud said. “We are aware of the ground realities. I have a grave concerns since these are my people.”

Published in The Express Tribune, May 22^nd, 2016.