(MENAFN- Tribal News Network) By Aamir Khan and Iftikhar Khan
PESHAWAR: In an alarming trend, some people in FATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are increasingly using the threat of boycotting the polio vaccination campaigns to persuade the government to accept their demands.
This trend of using the vaccination boycott as a bargaining chip by the parents of children below five years of age has set the alarm bells ringing for authorities responsible for vaccination campaigns in the remote Pashtun-inhabited areas where vaccinators already face a lot of difficulties in shape of threats from militants and logistics issues etc. This trend was first seen in Bajaur Agency in 2016 where parents during a protest against prolonged power load-shedding in Khar, the agency headquarters, threatened to boycott polio vaccination to their children.
People troubled by power outages are now increasingly using such threats, but experts say this will only prove counterproductive, which needs to be stopped.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where polio is categorised is endemic viral infection. Pakistan faces immense internal and external pressure to ensure vaccination of each and every child to become a polio-free country. Keeping in view the limited options of the government and international pressure, the parents are using the threat of boycott as a bargaining chip for acceptance of their demands. Very often the parents making such threats have no strong arguments to defend their point of view, but this trend is still continuing.
A similar incident happened in Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa few days ago where matriculation exams are underway and parents complain that their children cannot prepare for the exams due to excessive outages. They warned that they will not administer polio drops to their children if the issue of outages was not addressed by the government.
In the same district, people in a protest demonstration against new delimitation of constituencies by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) few days ago said they will boycott immunisation campaign if their demands were not accepted.
Experts say there is no sense in endangering one generation for securing the right of other generation. They said that people making such threats are damaging their own cause.
A person from Khyber Agency recently alleged that irregularities were committed in the appointment of area supervisors for polio vaccination in the area and then threatened that the area people will boycott vaccination campaigns if this attitude of NGOs did not change.
Sometimes, threats hurled by the parents are implemented and children remain deprived of polio vaccine. Such an incident happened in Orakzai Agency where about 6,000 families of Baba Nwasi tribe refused to administer polio drops to their children over failure of the administration to resolve their road issue with a rival tribe. However, in many cases parents withdraw their threat after successful negotiations with the administration.
Pakistan has succeeded to control polio to a great extent after years' long effort. It's a very sensitive issue in Pakistan keeping in view the conservation mildest of people in the remote areas and threats from the militants. Experts say this issue must be kept away from controversies in best interest of the children and to realise the dream of a polio-free Pakistan.
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