Sindh Minister of Chief Murad Ali Shah has warned of drastic action against parents who refuse to vaccinate their children against polio, including blocking their mobile SIM cards and suspending their national identity card and passport, Associated Press of Pakistan reported.
“I have no other option but to punish those who avoid their national duty to eradicate polio -a responsibility that begins at home and affects the entire province and the country,” he said, while he was chairman of a meeting on polio extinction in the cm house on Friday.
The Minister of Ministry announced the creation of a dedicated polio vaccine repellent cell in CM House, which will receive Union Council -Kloge data on rejection cases. The cell, he said, will be responsible for tackling resistance through social, political and administrative measures.
Shah also ordered lawsuits against families who refused polio drops and emphasized that rejection was unacceptable when it not only threatened their own children but also others by spreading the virus. He expressed regret that despite years of efforts, polio cases continue to come in Sindh. In the last week alone, two new cases were reported, which brought the provincial total to nine.
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صائی زیر صح ، چیف یکextیٹری، آئی جی پپ ، ، یئON کcribe کراچی، کnal
– SINDH Information Department (@indhinfodespart) October 3, 2025
Across Pakistan, 29 cases have been confirmed this year with 18 in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, nine in Sindh, and one in Punjab and Azad Jammu & Kashmir.
During the briefing, Health Minister Dr. Azra Pechuho and EOC Coordinator Irshad Sodhar were detected new cases in Thatta, Badin, Mithi, Umerkot, Hyderabad, Qambar and Larkana. Most, they noticed they were linked to the rejection of parents or children who were absent during vaccination campaigns.
Shah was informed that environmental samples from several places in Karachi, including Sohrab Goth, Orangi, Mosquito Colony, Rashid Minhas and Hijrat Colony, had tested positively for the virus showing its sustained circulation in urban areas.
He ordered the health department to activate the relaxation committee to revise any household that rejects vaccination. He also instructed elected representatives, Deputy Commissioners and SSPs to personally ensure drops are administered – even by force if necessary.
Read more: Sindh reports two new polio cases
He further warned officials that negligence in the campaign would not be tolerated. “Any official who does not show performance will no longer be part of my team. I have already removed officers from the health department and the district administration, and further negligence will lead to more removal,” he warned.
Shah emphasized that the upcoming 13 October campaign will be performed in a ‘warlike’ way covering nomadic families in Hyderabad and Mirpurkha’s divisions that often miss out on migration. He urged the public to fully cooperate, so “their own children and their neighbor’s children remain poliofri.”
During the September drive, 216,664 children in Sindh missed vaccination – 181.142 were not home, while parents of 35,522 refused the drops, the meeting was told.
Cm instructed Chief Secretary Asif Hyder Shah to prepare a plan to block SIMs, IDs and passports in rejection cases and ordered all relevant officials to report progress back to him. “This is not just a government program, it is a struggle for our children’s health and future,” he concluded.
