Pakistan is one of the only two countries in the world that has not yet become polio-free, putting the world at risk of importation of poliovirus. Lack of seriousness, quality of vaccines used, religious censors and bureaucratic corruption are major reasons for Pakistan’s failure to eradicate polio from the country.

Afghanistan is another country that could not become polio-free. But it cannot be blamed much since it has remained war-torn and without proper government and bureaucratic system for over two decades. Even global non-government organisations faced difficulties in reaching out to the Afghanistan population due to treacherous terrain and constant armed conflicts.

On the other hand, Pakistan did not face such dreadful conditions. Yet, 83 of its districts are susceptible to the polio virus, according to Pakistan’s Economic Survey 2022-23. Pakistan has witnessed smooth democratic power transitions and a properly working bureaucratic setup in the past two decades. In such a scenario, Pakistan’s failure to eradicate poliovirus is worrisome as it shows the country’s lethargic attitude toward one of the modern world’s biggest challenges.

Even, Nigeria, which has a lower Human Development Index (HDI), has managed to overcome the polio hurdle. The Islamabad government made claims about strong vaccination programmes across the country. However, there has been no improvement as newer cases of poliovirus infections are emerging. In May 2024, a third case was reported from Balochistan province.

Expressing concerns over the rising number of poliovirus-infected kids in Pakistan, Billionaire and philanthropist Bill Gates asked the Pakistan government for “focused support” to eradicate polio. “We’ve lost important ground in the past few months, and it will take a renewed push to address significant challenges, especially the security issues that prevent all children from being vaccinated,” he said.

Pakistan was called the epicentre of polio after a record 202 cases were found in 2014. “Political appointments, favouritism and mismanagement in the polio eradication need to be addressed finally to eradicate polio from our soil,” said an official, who was a part of the polio programme once. Concerns were raised when Pakistan saw the emergence of new poliovirus infections when Covid-19 began spreading at an alarming rate in early 2020.

The polio eradication efforts in Pakistan are marred with allegations of corruption. Former health minister Saira Afzal had a few years ago demanded investigations into the alleged corruption in the polio programme. “I demand that the investigation should be initiated against those who played with the future of our children,” she said. This led to the resignation of a top official attached to the prime minister’s office.

Pakistani legislator Sherry Rehman said the corruption in the polio eradication programme brought shame to the country even as putting the health of children at risk. “As many as 30 million children were missed during the vaccination drive just because a social media manager was appointed as the polio manager. Even international organisations pointed out corruption in the polio programme,” she said. 

The unsustainable level of illiteracy and misconception arising out of religious teachings are major hindrances to the lack of success in wiping out poliovirus from the country. Alina Tafsir, a Pakistani national, blamed conservative people as well as delinquent and corrupt government officials, which brought a bad reputation to Pakistan. “With the rise in polio in the country, Pakistanis have had to go through the pain of seeing their country being in the news for all the wrong reasons once again,” she said. 

The poor quality of vaccines, the lack of required infrastructure and the half-hearted approach toward vaccination have contributed heavily to the rising number of cases. Interestingly, Punjab which is the politically dominant and most prosperous province of Pakistan is the worst when it comes to polio eradication, as per the country’s polio programme.

The radical form of Islam in Pakistan has caused polio vaccination drives to derail often as many Muslim groups called polio vaccine immunisation a ‘Western conspiracy’ as well as a way to avert the will of God. Misconceptions that the polio vaccine is haram (forbidden by Islamic laws) have led to refusal to vaccinate and fatal attacks on polio workers.