MIRANSHAH: North Waziristan’s political administration on Monday ordered that all incentives given to Wazir and Dawar tribes in the agency be halted as they had not immunised their children against polio.
On June 15, a senior Taliban commander in North Waziristan, Hafiz Gul Bahadur, “banned” anti-polio drives in the agency “unless drone attacks were stopped.” He also said that anyone who did not obey these orders would be “held responsible for their actions.”
The pamphlet alleged that drone attacks were being carried out with the help of the Pakistani government.
On Monday, North Waziristan’s Political Agent Siraj Ahmad Khan directed officials to halt all benefits given to both Wazir and Dawar tribes unless they agreed to vaccinate their children against polio.
An official of the political administration said this would include a halt in processing passports, national identity cards, employment opportunities and development projects in the area.
The official said work on incomplete projects would also be stopped and any documents of the tribesmen, currently at the political administration office, would be returned.
The decision was taken following several unsuccessful negotiations with tribal elders who signed a peace deal between both the government and Hafiz Gul Bahadur.
The official said that in the past month, tribal elders including Moulvi Gul Ramzan, Malik Jan Baz and Malik Sarfaraz held several jirgas with political administration officials trying to convince them to remove the ban on polio vaccinations. However, the jirgas always ended inconclusively.
On June 25, days after Taliban announced their ban on polio vaccinations in North Waziristan, the Mullah Nazir group in Wana, South Waziristan also banned polio vaccinations in their agency.
In the pamphlet they distributed in Wana, they cited Dr Shakil Afridi as the doctor who helped the CIA hunt down Osama bin Laden by conducting a fake polio vaccination programme in Abbottabad and requested parents in the agency to avoid polio vaccinations until drone strikes are stopped.
15 teachers suspended
Peshawar DCO Javed Marwat has suspended 15 female teachers who refused to participate in the polio vaccination campaign which began on Monday.
Marwat said strict action would be taken against all government employees refusing to take part in the anti-polio drive. A local government official Feroz Shah confirmed that all the salaries and incentives of the teachers had been withheld.
The Sub-National Immunisation Days Campaign began on Monday and will continue till December 19.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 18th, 2012.
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