Khasadars to conduct anti-polio drive in Khyber region

[RescueRanger]

Anti polio workers escorted by policeman busy in door to door campaign to administer oral polio vaccine to children at Nishtarabad area of Peshawar. — Photo by APP

KHYBER AGENCY: In the wake of threat to the polio workers from the terrorists and their refusal to carry out the polio drive, the political administration of Khyber tribal region has decided to deploy Khasadar Force personnel to conduct the vaccination campaign.

The region has registered two more polio case in December increasing the number of cases to 19 during 2013, the highest in any district of Pakistan.

The Assistant Political Agent Jamrud, Jehangir Azam Wazir told Dawn.Com that the political administration had a backup plan in place, in case the polio vaccinators showed their inability to carry out the drive.

He added that according to the plan “about 60 tribal Khasadar force personnel have been trained to vaccinate the children next month when the drive kicks off.”

The anti-campaign begins in the first week of January.

After threats and the killing of a number of polio workers, the most recent incident to have occurred a few days back, the polio vaccinators in the Khyber tribal region had refused to carry out the drive, citing threats from the militants and demanded fool proof security arrangements.

The Khyber tribal region has the highest number of polio cases this year as most of the children remain unattended in the wake of poor law and order and denial from the parents besides other reasons.

The polio vaccinators would be provided all out security and they would be welcomed if they showed the will to join hands with the Khasadar force, to carry out the drive, the APA said.

On December 24 about four hundred volunteers and vaccinators in Khyber Agency had refused to carry out polio vaccination whereas some have even submitted notices to the administration showing their inability to continue with drive.

Pakistani Taliban in 2012 had ordered to ban polio vaccinations in the tribal area, alleging that the campaign was a cover-up for espionage operations.

Moreover, rumors, lack of awareness among the parents and religious intolerance has also hampered the vaccination drive in the rural areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Fata thus causing an increase of polio cases by more than 40 per cent from 58 last year to 74 during 2013 so far.

Pakistan is one of three countries besides Nigeria and Afghanistan where battle on polio has not been won.

Khasadars to conduct anti-polio drive in Khyber region - DAWN.COM

 

[AhsanAmin]

I think best alternative is to ask people of every area to find some volunteers they trust who can spare a few days and give vaccination drops to children in their area. It does not require any knowledge of medicine or special training to do this. And I am sure people of tribal area do not have anything against their children. Polio vaccine was always distributed without much difficulty before recent espionage incidents.

We can continue to write against the brutality of people in tribal areas and problem will never be solved. We have to take their perspective. Most NGOs are paid by foreign money and espionage by some of them is certainly possible. People of tribal areas are more afraid somebody would put a device close to their home and sometime later a drone will track the signal from the device and blow their family.

 

[RescueRanger]

I think best alternative is to ask people of every area to find some volunteers they trust who can spare a few days and give vaccination drops to children in their area. It does not require any knowledge of medicine or special training to do this. And I am sure people of tribal area do not have anything against their children. Polio vaccine was always distributed without much difficulty before recent espionage incidents.

We can continue to write against the brutality of people in tribal areas and problem will never be solved. We have to take their perspective. Most NGOs are paid by foreign money and espionage by some of them is certainly possible. People of tribal areas are more afraid somebody would put a device close to their home and sometime later a drone will track the signal from the device and blow their family.

Use Civil Defence Razakar's, there are 150,000 Razakar's in Pakistan under civil defense. Use them instead.

 

[Mike_Brando]

Use Civil Defence Razakar's, there are 150,000 Razakar's in Pakistan under civil defense. Use them instead.

sir,a noob question-what is a khasadar?i mean are they special police officers or some tribal militia like what we used to have in Chattisgarh?

 

[RescueRanger]

sir,a noob question-what is a khasadar?i mean are they special police officers or some tribal militia like what we used to have in Chattisgarh?

Khasadar is similar to local Jirga/levies. They were originally set up by the British to spread rule and order in far flung parts of the Tribal belt where the British Army could not move freely. The have their own transport, logistics, weapons and recruitment but are paid a stipend by the local political agent.