PESHAWAR: Anti-polio campaign organisers in Malakand were ordered to suspend ongoing efforts due to “bad weather” and security threats, said officials.
According to the Emergency Operation Center (EOC) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (K-P), the three-day campaign has been suspended until the announcement of new dates for Malakand.
Three-day polio drive starts today
A senior official said, “It has been suspended due to heavy rain showers and there are updates of snowfall in parts of the agency. As soon as the situation returns towards normalcy, the campaign will be launched. However, the fresh schedule cannot be confirmed as yet,” he added.
However, officials in Malakand agency stated that the real reason behind the suspension of the drive was the security threats to polio workers.
“There are active threats to polio workers and since we won’t risk their lives, we have ordered to suspend the ongoing campaign,” a senior official from the agency said. He further added, “We have communicated to them to suspend the drive until further orders.”
NAB to probe FATA anti-polio projects
The campaign was set to start on Monday, where over 6.5 million children below the age of five were going to be administered anti-polio vaccine across the province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata). Camps for internally displaced persons and Afghan refugees were also part of the campaign.
