BUNER: A three-day anti-polio campaign would be launched in the district from Monday to vaccinate 152,917
children up to five years of age.
This was stated by EDO Health Dr Maqsood Ahmad, while addressing a ceremony held
here on Saturday. District Nazim Haji Rauf Khan, who was also present on the occasion, administered polio drops to some children.
Officials of various social organisations and line departments, social, religious figures and media men also attended
the ceremony held in the lawns of Zila Council Hall at Dr Qadeer Khan Colony, Daggar.
Dr Maqsood Ahmad, in his welcome
address, appreciated support of stakeholders especially district nazim, media, Khateebs for making previous polio campaigns
successful and hoped they would extend similar support to the upcoming anti-polio drive.
The EPI coordinator Dr Lal
Bacha briefed the participants of the arrangements for the drive adding 360 mobile, 20 transit and 38 fixed teams had been
formed to administer polio drops to targeted population.
He informed that 8 members of district health team, 7 campaign
support persons monitored by representatives of WHO and Unicef would ensure success of the drive.
Our Lakki Marwat
correspondent adds: Doctors and paramedics' associations of the district withdrew their decision of boycotting the Monday's
anti-polio drive after holding successful talks with the local health officials on Saturday.
A joint action committee
consisting of members from both the bodies earlier in a meeting held on January 13 had decided that doctors and paramedics
would boycott the forthcoming campaign as a mark of protest against the kidnapping of a physician.
It is to be mentioned
here that a surgeon of Lakki city hospital Dr Falak Naz who had been kidnapped over a month ago could not be recovered so
far. The failure on part of the local administration and police in securing the safe recovery of a kidnapped physician sparked
protests.
EDO Health Dr Mohammad Iqbal, MS Lakki DHQ hospital Dr Mohammad Ishaq, DDO health Dr Abdul Rehman held talks
with the office holders of Pakistan Doctors and Paramedics Association in which they assured the association members to take
up the issue of physician abduction with the quarters concerned.
Meanwhile, MS DHQ hospital Dr Mohammad Ishaq administered
polio drops to several children in the hospital during a ceremony held on Saturday. WHO's representatives surveillance
officer Dr Adnan and district support person Dr Rafiullah and officials of the heath department attended the event.
Speakers
said the health department alone could not achieve the goal of eradicating the menace of polio disease without the support
and assistance of masses particularly parents.
They said that due to successful efforts on part of the health department
workers and community participation in polio eradication campaigns no polio case had been detected in the district during
the last several years.
The funeral prayer of the ANP leader was attended by thousands of his well-wishers from across the country and Afghanistan
to pay homage to political and intellectual services of the legendary poet. Khattak breathed his lost due to long protected
illness at his residence late last night. He was 85. Born at Akora Khattak Nowshera district on September 15, 1925, Khattak
throughout of his life had struggled for democratic norms. During his long political career, he was elected as a member of
NWFP Provincial Assembly and served as a Provincial Minister in the cabinet of Mufti Mehmood’s NAP-JUI government in
1972. He also remained in exile for several years while fighting against dictatorship. He ended his exile in 1989 after the
Awami National Party(ANP), the successor of the NAP, entered into an electoral alliance with Nawaz Sharif and his Pakistan
Muslim League-led Islami Jamhoori Ittehad (IJI). In the general elections of October 1990, Ajmal Khattak was elected from
his home district of Nowshera to the National Assembly. In the 1993 general elections, Ajmal Khattak lost his reelection bid
in Nowshera to the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Major General Naseerullah Babar. As a leading critic of the PPP,
it was important for the ANP-IJI alliance to have Ajmal Khattak in parliament, and he was therefore nominated to the Senate
in March, 1994. His two terms as President of the ANP were noted primarily for the close alliance with former opponents, the
Muslim League, after the alliance collapsed in January 1998 over the renaming of the province of NWFP to Pakthunkhwa and Ajmal
Khattak role in leading the ANP briefly into joining an alliance known as PONM. The decision to join PONM was made despite
strong pressure from party critics who preferred the ANP to ally themselves with Pakistan Peoples Party. Eventually, Khattak
succumbed to party pressure and the Awami National Party left PONM by joining the Grand Democratic Alliance which included
the Pakistan Peoples Party. He was also the organizer and stage secretary at the United Democratic Front rally held at historic
Liaquat Bagh Rawalpindi on March 23, 1973, when shots were fired at the UDF leaders, including Khan Abdul Wali Khan. He also
authored 13 books in Pushto and Urdu including a History of Pushto Literature (in Urdu) ‘Pakistan Main Qaumi Jamhoori
Tehrikin, Da Ghirat Chagha, Batoor, Gul auo Perhar, Guloona auo Takaloona, Jalawatan ki Shairee, Pukhtana Shora and Da Wakht
Chagha. As a writer he served as editor of various Newspapers and periodicals, including Anjam, Shahbaz, Adal and Rahber as
well as script writer for Radio Pakistan.
