QUETTA: Balochistan’s religious scholar and coordinator Emergency Operation Center Quetta Syed Faisal Ahmed disclosed on Monday that 80% refusal parents have been persuaded regarding polio drops in three sensitive districts of the province.

“In next six months Balochistan would be a polio free province of Pakistan as religious scholars are playing their vital role in Anti-Polio Campaigns.”

Coordinator Emergency Operation Cell Balochistan Syed Faisal Ahmed and religious scholar including Maulana Dr. Atta ur Rehman, Maulana Anwar ul Haq Haqani addressed a joint News Conference here in Quetta.

“All resources were being utilized to combat notorious polio virus, with the cooperation of religious scholars as 80% refusal parents from total 6000 are agreed to administer their children with anti-polio drops,” Coordinator Emergency Center Syed Faisal Ahmed added.

Talking on the fresh recruitment in Anti-Polio program he said, all appointments are completely been made on merit, indicating Provincial Government’s seriousness towards the fatal disease.

Pakistan, Afghanistan and Nigeria are the only three countries where the polio virus still endemic, paralyzing children under the age of five.

In 2016, total 15 fresh polio cases were reported in Pakistan in which Balochistan shared only one case that was reported in last February.

Distinguish religious scholar, Dr. Atta ur Rehman said, Polio has turned into an International agenda, “In 2014, a large number of families were reluctant to administrate their children with anti-polio drops, but with the efforts by National Islamic forum and religious scholars majority parents have been persuaded.”

The Provincial Government had constituted a committee comprising on 777 religious scholars to end speculation regarding polio drops.

“With the efforts by religious task force, only one polio case was reported in Balochistan during the year, we are optimistic that in next six months, Balochistan would be declared a polio free province of the country.”

Addressing the news conference, Maulana Anwar ul Haq Haqqani said, the religious task force, has succeeded to aware people of polio drops, “Speculations amid people regarding side-effects of the drops has decreased on major level.”