Govt rejects propaganda against polio vaccine

Senate expresses solidarity with China over coronavirus outbreak

ISLAMABAD: The senate was informed on Monday that propaganda against polio vaccine was baseless and that there was no truth in rumours that the vaccine carried material that could harm human fertility.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Swati, while responding to a motion moved by Senator Sassui Palijo, stressed the need for launching a massive awareness campaign to educate the masses about the benefits of administering polio drops to the children.

Senator Sassui Palijo had drawn the attention of the house towards a report of the World Health Organisation (WHO) about the rise in polio cases in Pakistan. Swati said that a total of 40 union councils in different parts of the country had been identified for maximum cases of polio.

“Some 306 polio cases were reported in Pakistan in 2014, 12 polio cases in 2018, and 144 during 2019, the minister told the house. He also criticised former focal person for polio eradication Babar Bin Atta’s performance in this regard.

During the session, Senator Mushtaq Ahmed sought discussion on issue of non-functioning of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) for the last six months. Swati replied that NCHR would be made functional within six months.

Solidarity with China

The Senate became the first parliament in the world to express solidarity and support to China in wake of the coronavirus crisis, as the house unanimously passed a resolution, offering full cooperation to the “Chinese brethren in this difficult moment of the coronavirus crisis”.

Sponsored by Senator Mushahid Hussain, the resolution praised the strong leadership of Chinese President Xi Jinping in leading a very successful operation to combat coronavirus. It lauded the government and the people of China for combating the coronavirus crisis with courage.

“The Senate appreciated the governments of China for treating Pakistani citizens, especially students in Wuhan, “just like their own citizens” and providing them protection and comfort.

The house unanimously passed the bill titled 'The Real Estate (Regulation and Development) Bill, 2018', moved by Senator Moshin Aziz.The bill aims to establish the Real Estate Regulatory Authority for regulation and promotion of the real estate sector.