{"id":57968,"date":"2026-01-16T10:34:55","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T10:34:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/?p=57968"},"modified":"2026-01-16T10:35:44","modified_gmt":"2026-01-16T10:35:44","slug":"polio-persistence-is-our-national-pride-only-worth-150-million-by-imran-shauket","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pakistanintheworld.pk\/live\/polio-persistence-is-our-national-pride-only-worth-150-million-by-imran-shauket\/","title":{"rendered":"Polio Persistence – Is our national pride only worth $150 million – by Imran Shauket"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Imran Shauket<\/strong>
\nThe writer is a former Senior Advisor to the Government and a sector development specialist. He is a member of the APP Think Tank and Pakistan\u2019s Buddhist Heritage Promotion Ambassador for Green Tourism, a company under SIFC.<\/p>\n

\"\"Polio continues to persist in Pakistan after decades of effort. Why? I firmly believe we can eliminate polio\u2014if only we stop selling our national pride short for a paltry $150 million. Frankly, the existence of Polio in Pakistan says far more about our priorities than about our capacity.<\/strong><\/p>\n

After decades of vaccination campaigns, billions spent globally, and near-universal eradication elsewhere, Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world\u2014alongside Afghanistan\u2014where polio has never been eliminated. For a country that sees itself as a regional power, this is not just a public-health failure; it is a national embarrassment.<\/p>\n

Over the past year, Pakistan has regained some international standing. It has demonstrated military competence and restored a degree of credibility in the world. FM Asim Munir and the armed forces deserve credit for this shift. But such respect is inherently temporary.<\/p>\n

In the modern world, lasting prestige does not come from military strength alone. It comes from economic performance and social outcomes\u2014education, literacy, women\u2019s empowerment, healthcare, nutrition, and basic public health indicators.<\/p>\n

By those measures, polio stands out as the most glaring and unnecessary stain on Pakistan\u2019s image.This article focuses only on polio, not because it is our biggest challenge, but because it should be the easiest to solve. Unlike education reform or poverty reduction, polio eradication is technically simple. The vaccine works. The disease is preventable. What remains is political will.<\/p>\n

Pakistan today occupies a unique and unenviable position. Of nearly 200 countries, only two have failed to eliminate polio. Afghanistan, after decades of war, sanctions, and state collapse, is one of them. Pakistan, a nuclear-armed country with functioning institutions, is the other. With all due respect to Afghanistan, Pakistan is the only major country still burdened by this disease. That distinction is indefensible.<\/p>\n

Federal Directorate of Immunization Embroiled in Corruption , Nepotism, Corruption in Public \/ Donor Funds ! Audit Report Mentions Irregularities of More than 3.5 Billion Rs<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n