QUETTA: A critical week-long polio vaccination campaign is set to launch across Balochistan on Monday, December 15, 2025, aiming to protect over 2.66 million children under five years old.
Inam-ul-Haq, Coordinator of the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) Balochistan, announced the drive, warning that the poliovirus remains present in the province’s environment, posing a constant threat of lifelong paralysis to unprotected children. He stressed the campaign’s urgency in building population immunity and eliminating the virus.
“Protecting children’s health is a shared responsibility. If even one child misses the polio drops, all children are at risk,” Haq stated, making a direct appeal to parents. He emphasized that neglecting vaccination can lead to permanent disability.
The province has deployed a massive workforce of 11,134 teams for the campaign. This includes 824 fixed-site teams and 476 transit teams at bus stations and marketplaces to ensure comprehensive coverage in both urban centers and remote areas. All logistical arrangements are reported complete.
Haq called for collective societal effort, urging civil society members, teachers, and religious leaders to actively encourage vaccination. He also reminded parents of the broader importance of routine immunization, which protects children against twelve deadly diseases including measles, tuberculosis, and diphtheria. The campaign’s success, officials reiterated, hinges entirely on public cooperation and trust.
Meanwhile the Additional Chief Secretary of Balochistan Hamza Shafqaat stated that during 78,000 operations carried out across the province, more than 700 terrorists linked to Fitna-e-Hindustan have been eliminated.
He was addressing a press conference alongside the Inspector General of CTD Balochistan.
While briefing media representatives, he said that three terrorists were arrested during a targeted operation in Kharan, which was conducted on the basis of sensitive intelligence.
He informed that a total of 707 terrorists have so far been killed, and a key suspect involved in the murder of a Station House Officer (SHO) in Kharan has also been apprehended.
According to him, the arrested suspect confessed that he had been instructed to abduct the SHO Qasim Baloch. During the abduction attempt, the SHO resisted, after which he was martyred.
