Negative propaganda: Six arrested for harassing polio team

MARDAN:

Six people were arrested for harassing an all-women polio team during the anti-polio campaign in Mohib Bandha.

DCO Zakaullah Khattak ordered the arrests and all six were sentenced to a one-month imprisonment in Haripur central jail for threatening the members against running the campaign.

Six men have been accused of stopping people from immunising their children against polio. The accused claimed that the drops contained pig meat and caused infertility and impotency. The culprits include Fazal Rabi, brother of Khazana Dheri ex-nazim.

The negative propaganda in Mardan district resulted in 2,370 refusal cases during the campaign held from July 16 to 18. A positive case of polio was reported from this area in a six-month-old girl. The surfacing of such cases prompted the government and donor organisations to negotiate with the clerics of Mohib Banda and convince them to stop the negative comments.

Mardan Commissioner Muhammad Adil Khan had ordered a special anti-polio campaign in 40 union councils where high numbers of refusal cases were reported. The first phase was carried out from August 27 to 29, while the second phase will be held from September 3 to 5. The final campaign for the whole district is scheduled from September 10 to 12.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 31^st, 2012.