Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the nation on Friday. Photo: PMO
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting on the promotion of electric vehicles (EVs) and announced that government employees up to BPS-16 would be provided with electric bikes at easy rates.
The meeting was informed that the government aimed to move 30 percent of vehicles to electric power within the next five years, a move expected to save approximately $4.5 billion in fuel imports.
The Prime Minister directed the relevant authorities to accelerate ongoing initiatives aimed at promoting the adoption of electric vehicles across the country.
During the briefing, officials informed the Prime Minister that 72 production certificates for electric motorcycles and rickshaws have been issued so far, along with four certificates for electric cars. In addition, 123 applications have been received for the installation of electric charging stations nationwide.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday confirmed the government’s decision to completely eradicate polio from Pakistan, noting encouraging progress as only one case has been reported so far in 2026.
Polio eradication
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed the government’s decision to completely eradicate polio from Pakistan and noted encouraging progress as only one case has been reported so far in 2026.
Chairing a high-level meeting on polio eradication at the Prime Minister’s House, the Prime Minister appreciated the tireless efforts of anti-polio teams working across the country and reiterated that elimination of the disease remains a national priority, a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
The Prime Minister emphasized that continued coordination between federal and provincial authorities, frontline workers and partner organizations would continue to be critical to achieving the goal of a polio-free Pakistan.
During the briefing, the meeting was informed that only a single case of polio had been reported this year from Sujawal district, compared to 74 cases in 2024 and 31 cases in 2025, reflecting a significant downward trend.
No cases have been reported so far in 2026 from Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan or Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The officials further informed the meeting that the number of polio-affected districts decreased from 67 in the first quarter of 2025 to 23 in the first quarter of 2026. National household coverage under anti-polio campaigns remained consistently high at 98 percent.
Participants were told that improved access and improved vaccination efforts in the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had significantly reduced the number of children missing polio drops. A significant decrease in local transmission of poliovirus was also recorded in the Quetta block.
In Karachi, encouraging environmental monitoring results showed that poliovirus was not detected in 10 out of 12 environmental samples collected in March. Similarly, no polio cases have been reported in Dera Ismail Khan district since September 2025, while the number of high-risk union councils in Bannu dropped sharply from 62 to just six.
The meeting was also informed that a strategy is being finalized to integrate the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) with the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) at the federal and provincial levels. There are also efforts to link certain interventions of Benazir’s income support program with anti-polio measures to further strengthen coverage.
