Future of Polio vaccination inside FATA after Talks with Taliban.  

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Threats and Challenges for Polio vaccination campaign in AfPak border Tribal areas FATA.

One of the important aspect which is neglected both by Government as well as Civil society is the question that What will be the future of Polio vaccination in FATA after Talks with Taliban? The current and last year dozens of latest polio cases in Taliban controlled Wazirstan at Federally Administrated Tribal Areas [FATA] and some parts of KhyberPakhtoonkhawa[KPK] are alarming due to ban imposed by Taliban on Polio vaccination. But sorry to say neither the PML-N Nawaz Sharif Fedral government nor the PTI Imran khan [who is termed as Taliban Khan Government due to its pro Taliban polices] KPK Government have no clear policy regarding Talks with Taliban that what will be the strategy If Taliban even after talks continue the ban on Polio Vaccination. In Recent days the PTI Imran khan [who is termed as Taliban Khan Government due to its pro Taliban polices] KPK Government arranged a Donor conference most of them of Intl Organizations and Western Countries Donors at Islamabad for taking money and aid in the name of ongoing War against terror But no future policy statement and decision about Polio vaccination in KPK and FATA was issued which shows the level of their seriousness to address this impt issue.

After  9/11 in the name of war against terror Afghanistan and its bordering Pakistan especially Federally Administrated Tribal Areas [FATA] AfPak border conflict zone is facing militancy and instability which affected all sectors like education and health, etc especially Polio vaccination campaign.

According to UN World Health Organization [WHO] some key facts of Polio are given as.

> Polio [poliomyelitis] mainly affects children under five years of age.

> One in 200 infections leads to irreversible paralysis. Among those paralysed, 5% to 10% die when their breathing muscles become immobilized.

> In 2013, only three countries [Afghanistan, Nigeria and Pakistan] remain polio-endemic.

The above mentioned facts also shows that Polio still exists in Afghanistan Pakistan [AfPak region] with addition to Nigeria the main cause in these countries is conflict, militancy and instability.

Polio workers in Federally Administrated Tribal Areas [FATA] AfPak border conflict zone of Pakistan were receiving threats from militants Taliban after 9/11 but these threats increased and converted into open attacks after the alleged involvement of Dr Shakeel Afridi in spying for American CIA in capturing Alqaeda chief  Osama Bin Ladan at Osama Home in Abbotabad a city having Pakistan Military Academy [PMA] where Osama Bin Ladan was living for years [Nowadays Dr Shakkel Afrifdi is in Peshawar Prison on spying charges, A doctor by profession previously worked for Health Organization in Elimination of Polio].

In these attacks Polio Workers even females were murdered mostly in FATA located on AfPak border conflict zone and even other cities and Provinces of Pakistan Like Peshawar ,Swabi, Charsada, Mardan, Quetta ,Karachi and even some foreign members of WHO were attacked in Federal Capital Islamabad  which shows the countrywide threats and challenges for Polio vaccination campaign inside Pakistan. Responsibility of these attacks on polio workers were taken by Tehrike Taliban Pakistan[TTP] a militant Taliban group operating in Pakistan especially inside Federally Administrated Tribal Areas [FATA] where Wazirstan is the headquarter of these militants that is why North Waziristan suffered from only 14 new polio cases last year. Similar attacks were reported on other side of border by Afghan Taliban but the intensity of attacks on Polio workers inside Pakistan is even worse than Afghanistan.

Other reasons include propaganda by some elements that Polio drops are used for infertility by West that is why some parents refused polio vaccination campaign as well as massive scale displacement of millions of tribals people in form of Internally Displaced Persons [IDPs] due to ongoing militancy and military operations in FATA AfPak Conflict zone. Simply the tribal population is sandwich between the militant Taliban and military for a decade in the name of war against terror after 9/11 that is why on one side tribal population is suffering while on other side threats and challenges are also increasing for Polio vaccination campaign inside FATA located on AfPak conflict zone.

Need of the hour is to take serious measures by all stakeholders to end the conflict by working for Peace and this will automatically helps in elimination of Polio [poliomyelitis]  from Afghanistan and its bordering Pakistan especially inside conflict zone AfPak border Federally Administrated Tribal Areas [FATA].

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