Latest news with #AsifAliZardari
Business Recorder
7 hours ago
- Health
- Business Recorder
Gilgit-Baltistan registers first case of polio this year
Gilgit-Baltistan reported its first case of wild poliovirus in District Diamer, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health confirmed on Monday. This is the 11th case in Pakistan this year. The third nationwide polio vaccination campaign began on May 26, and concluded on Sunday. 'The campaign successfully reached over 45 million children under five years of age across 159 districts, including high-risk areas of the country,' the Pakistan's Polio Eradication Programme said in a notification. Earlier, President Asif Ali Zardari urged the citizens, including the media, teachers, religious scholars and the community, to create awareness and extend their support to the polio vaccination drive and dispel the allied misconceptions to achieve a polio-free Pakistan. 'I call on parents to open their doors to vaccinators, ensuring every child receives the life-saving polio drops. I urge teachers, religious leaders, and community elders to champion this noble cause, dispelling myths and building trust. I appeal to the media to amplify the truth: the polio vaccine is safe, effective, and our best weapon,' the president Tuesday said in his message on the occasion of the countrywide polio eradication campaign launched on Monday targeting 45.4 million under-five children.
Express Tribune
7 hours ago
- Health
- Express Tribune
Pakistan records 11th polio case of 2025, first in Gilgit-Baltistan
A health worker administers polio drops to a child during a door-to-door vaccination campaign amidst heavy snow in the Bakwali-Surgan area of Azad Jammu Kashmir's Neelum Valley, on February 4, 2025. (AFP Listen to article Health authorities in Pakistan have confirmed a new case of wild poliovirus in the Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan, marking the first instance of the virus reported from the region. The case, verified by the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), is the eleventh confirmed case of wild poliovirus in the country so far in 2025. Afghanistan and Pakistan remain the only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic. READ MORE: Saudi Arabia commits $500m to end polio in Pakistan, Afghanistan The announcement came shortly after the conclusion of Pakistan's third nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year, which began on 26 May and ended on Sunday. The campaign reached over 45 million children under the age of five across 159 districts, including many considered high-risk for the virus. Polio is a highly infectious viral disease with no cure. It can cause irreversible paralysis, particularly in young children. Health experts stress that repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine are the only effective way to protect children against the disease. Health officials have renewed calls for parents and caregivers to ensure their children do not miss any immunisation opportunities. Every dose administered, they say, helps build stronger immunity and safeguards children from the lifelong consequences of polio. READ: Abducted polio worker recovered The virus remains a threat in Pakistan, which registered 74 cases in 2024 alone. 'This case is a stark reminder that polio remains a threat,' said an official from Pakistan's polio eradication programme. 'No child should be left behind.' Authorities continue to rely on community engagement to ensure full coverage and prevent any resurgence of the virus. Last week, a police constable was martyred and another officer injured when unidentified assailants opened fire on a polio vaccination team in Nushki, Balochistan, on Tuesday. The team was conducting routine immunisation work when the attack occurred. Polio teams in Pakistan have frequently been targeted in deadly attacks, particularly in remote or conflict-affected areas. Read: Two polio workers kidnapped in K-P's Tank district President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the incident, reaffirming the government's commitment to protecting health workers and continuing the fight against polio.
Business Recorder
14 hours ago
- Business
- Business Recorder
Pakistan seeks to forge strong relationship with Bangladesh: President
LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari has said that Pakistan wants to forge strong bilateral ties with Bangladesh in all areas including commerce, trade, sports, culture, and people-to-people relations. He said this while speaking at a reception hosted in honour of Bangladesh and Pakistan Men's cricket teams, here at the Governor's House on Sunday. Pakistan Cricket Board ( PCB) hosted the reception, which was attended by the Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, Chairman PCB Mohsin Naqvi, High Commissioner of Bangladesh to Pakistan Muhammad Iqbal Hussain, BCB cricket Operations Head Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, Advisor to Chairman PCB Amir Mir, team officials, and members of Pakistan and Bangladesh cricket teams. The President also expressed the desire to visit Bangladesh and recalled his student days at the Pitaro Cadet College and the lasting friendships he made during those days. He added that he was in close contact with Bangladeshi college friends even today. 'Pakistan government is trying to work together to build a stronger relationship with Bangladesh,' he said, adding: 'We need to keep investing in people and come up with solutions to take our relations to new heights.' He further said Pakistan businessmen wish to collaborate with Bangladeshi businesses, adding that the Pakistani government is also interested in working with the Bangladeshi government in the long run. 'We have a bright future as two nations', he remarked. President Zardari also recognized the progress made by Bangladesh over the past 50 years, adding Bangladesh is a success story in the world both financially as well as in human resource capital and everybody knows. 'Allah has given you strength financially and in the form of manpower,' he said, adding: 'Bangladesh was destined to progress and prosper vis a vis exports business and Pakistan will contribute as much as it can.' Reminiscing on the shared history and pangs of separation as brothers when the two brothers parted ways in 1971, President Zardari said the younger generation was not aware of the pain we had gone through as the older generation, adding that we had broken each other's hearts in the past and there was a need to mend the hearts today, emphasizing the need for reconciliation and mutual understanding a message that resonated deeply in his address. Recognizing transformative power of cricket as a sport which helps in uniting people throughout the world, he said 'I am happy to host you all in Pakistan, in Lahore. And I hope that there will be many such trips'. President Zardari reassured the Bangladesh envoy to Pakistan of his full support in furthering the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries. He hailed the Bangladesh tigers for their immense talent and wished them a great future. He also lavished on the young Pakistan team and expressed the hope it will do well on the international front. 'The world is young, you are young and it's your time. We've seen our time; this is your time. All of you are going to see the future and I bless you and I hope that you'll have an eventful good future,' Zardari said. President Asif Ali Zardari appreciated the performance of both teams in the ongoing T20 series. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
15 hours ago
- Business
- Express Tribune
Pakistan seeks stronger ties with Bangladesh
President Asif Ali Zardari said on Sunday that Pakistan intended to forge strong bilateral relations with Bangladesh in all areas, including commerce, trade, sports, culture and people-to-people ties. Speaking at a reception hosted to Bangladesh and Pakistan Men's cricket teams at the Governor's House here on Sunday, he said the Pakistan government was trying to work together to build a stronger relationship, adding that it could not happen overnight but "we need to keep investing in people and come up with solutions to take our relations" to new heights. The Bangladesh cricket team is in Pakistan to play a three-match T20I series. Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Pakistan Muhammad Iqbal Hussain, BCB Operations Head Nazmul Abedeen Fahim, team officials, and members of Pakistan and Bangladesh cricket teams were present. Zardari said that Pakistan businessmen wished to collaborate with Bangladeshi businesses, adding that the Pakistani government was also interested in working with the Bangladeshi government in the long run. "We have a bright future as two nations", the president remarked. Zardari eulogised the rich history of Bangladesh and its people, adding that the Bengali nation was one of the oldest and richest nations in the region and had a proud history. He also recognised the progress made by Bangladesh over the past 50 years. "Bangladesh is a success story in the world both financially as well as in human resource capital and everybody knows. Allah has given you strength financially and in the form of manpower. "Bangladesh is destined to progress and prosper and Pakistan will contribute as much as it can," he said. Reminiscing on the shared history and pangs of separation as brothers, when the two brothers parted ways in 1971, Zardari said that the younger generation was not aware of the pain "we had gone through as the older generation", adding that we had broken each other's hearts in the past and there was a need to mend the hearts today". He stressed the need for reconciliation and mutual understanding. Recognising transformative power of cricket as a sport, which helps in uniting people throughout the world, he said: "I am happy to host you all in Pakistan, in Lahore. And I hope that there will be many such trips". Zardari also expressed the desire to visit Bangladesh, adding that he had not been to Dhaka for a long time. He fondly recalled his student days at the Cadet College Petaro and the lasting friendships he made during those days, adding that he was in contact with Bangladeshi college friends even today. President Zardari reassured the Bangladesh envoy to Pakistan of his full support in furthering the bilateral relations between the two brotherly countries. He hailed the Bangladesh tigers for their immense talent and wished them a great future. He also lavished praise on the young Pakistan team and expressed the hope they will do well on the international front. "The world is young, you are young and it's your time. We've seen our time, this is your time. All of you are going to see the future and I bless you and I hope that you'll have an eventful good future," President Zardari maintained.
Business Recorder
a day ago
- Politics
- Business Recorder
Fazl announces nationwide protest against underage marriage law
Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman has announced a nationwide protest campaign against the recently proposed legislation on underage marriage, declaring the bill contrary to Islamic teachings. He announced this while addressing an important press conference in Peshawar on Sunday, Aaj News reported. The JUI-F chief said the Islamic identity of the country was being deliberately targeted and eroded. 'We are still passing through an era of subjugation,' he remarked, alleging that legislation was being made in violation of the Quran and Sunnah, which the JUI-F would never accept. The announcement comes days after President Asif Ali Zardari signed the Child Marriage Restraint Bill into law, criminalizing marriages of individuals under 18 years of age. The bill, passed by both the National Assembly and the Senate, was introduced by Sharmila Faruqui in the National Assembly and Sherry Rehman in the Senate. During his presser, the JUI-F chief said that democracy had failed to protect its own space, and laws were being enacted under the pretext of FATF and IMF pressures. 'Today, the Constitution is being trampled upon in Pakistan, and we reject these government actions. A robust movement will be launched against them,' he said. He criticised the proposed law on underage marriage, stating that it goes against Islamic principles. 'The condition for marriage in Islam is not age, but physical maturity (bulugh). The JUI-F completely rejects this bill,' he said, adding that the Council of Islamic Ideology had also dismissed the bill. 'No legislation contrary to the Quran and Sunnah will be accepted. Our stance is clear and unwavering,' he reiterated. The JUI-F leader announced a large public gathering in Hazara Division on June 29, where the party will unveil its future course of action. He also commented on global affairs, saying a new conflict has emerged post-9/11. Expressing concern over regional tensions, he said Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'recklessness' had heightened the threat of conflict. 'India's aggression poses a real danger. Pakistan and Afghanistan are indispensable to each other,' he said.
