Health, well being of world cannot become hostage to global geostrategic rivalries: Umar

Federal Minister for Planning Asad Umar on Thursday said that the health and well being of citizens from around the world cannot be held hostage to global geostrategic rivalries.

Umar, in a tweet, said countries choosing which vaccines are acceptable for travel to that particular country are creating chaos. 

"Vaccine acceptability decisions have to be taken by a global institution like WHO (World Health Organisation)," Umar added.

Read more: Citizens perplexed as gap between first, second Covid jabs increases

Earlier in May, it was reported that the Foreign Office had taken up the issue of Pakistani Hajj pilgrims, vaccinated with Chinese jabs, with the Saudi government after the kingdom denied them entry.

The FO asked the Saudi authorities to register Chinese vaccines including Sinopharm and Sinovac in their list of approved jabs.

The FO informed the kingdom that it was difficult to obtain vaccines from countries other than China.

It further said now that a large population of Pakistanis had been administered with the Chinese vaccine, doctors did not recommend giving them another jab.

The Pakistani authorities further requested the Saudi health ministry to recognise the Chinese vaccines as they had also been approved by the WHO.