Sensitised house: MPs back polio-free Pakistan

“The government should investigate the link between polio and the American drone campaign,” says JUI-F MNA.

ISLAMABAD:

At last federal lawmakers have woken up to the global fallout from the domestic polio threat. Their reaction came a full week after the World Health Organisation (WHO) slapped Pakistan with an embarrassing penalty, forcing would-be travellers from the country to obtain proof of inoculation against the disease. After some debate punctuated by ifs and buts they came up with their quintessential solution: a non-binding resolution calling for the implementation of polio immunisation programme (EPI).

And even then, some lawmakers were reluctant to admit the national failure to stem the crippling virus. Instead, they went about looking for a scapegoat.

Maulana Jamaluddin of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam-Fazl blamed the US unmanned war in Pakistan’s tribal regions for polio prevalence in the country. “The government should investigate the link between polio and the American drone campaign,” he told the National Assembly on Tuesday. “They [the United States] are killing us in drone attacks and spreading polio,” he added. The JUI-F leader made no attempt to substantiate his claim.

At this point, Nafeesa Shah of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) stood up to counter the ‘bizarre claim’. Dismissing it as unadulterated propaganda of the ‘enemies of the state’, she said the government should debunk such conspiracy theories. “Travel restrictions have been imposed on Pakistani nationals. It’s a national shame,” she added.

Eager to set the record straight, Saira Afzal Tarar, the minister of state for health services and national regulations, said: “So far, the WHO hasn’t imposed any travel restrictions.” Tarar also insisted that it wasn’t a diplomatic failure on the government’s part to fight the case at the international forum.

Shazia Marri of the PPP then moved a resolution, calling for eradication of polio from Pakistan as soon as possible. The resolution also urged the lawmakers to make a commitment that they would monitor and implement vaccination campaigns in their respective constituencies.

The house unanimously adopted the resolution.

Sensitisation of the house to the issue is a good omen, the state minister said and called upon political ownership of inoculation drives to clear bottlenecks.  She cited a number of reasons – including US drone strikes, Dr Shakil Afridi episode and fudged figures from the provinces – for ineffective anti-polio drives.

PkMAP chief Mahmood Khan Ackazai, who was the first to raise the issue on the floor of the house, said the resolution would establish who favours and who disapproves the eradication of poliovirus from the country.

PTI’s Sheharyar Afridi called for better coordination between federal and provincial governments for effective vaccination campaigns. He also suggested that clerics and religious scholars should also be involved to clear misperceptions about the vaccine.

MQM stages boycott

The issue of a Pakistani identity card and passport for MQM chief Altaf Hussain also figured during the proceedings. The party’s acting parliamentary leader, Rasheed Godil, accused the government of dillydallying on the issue. “He [Altaf] is a Pakistani and will remain a Pakistani despite the biased attitude meted out to him,” Godil added.

Minister of State for Interior Baleeghur Rahman sought to pacify the MQM lawmakers. The Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is being followed, he said, adding that the data submitted by Altaf Hussain was captured by the NADRA system. “We’ve absolutely no qualms about issuing a passport to Altaf Hussain. He should visit the NADRA office in the UK and submit his particulars,” Rahman said.

Rahman’s justification wasn’t that convincing. So MQM members walked out of the house to protest what they called the biased attitude of the government towards their leader.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 14^th, 2014.