KARACHI: Officials from Saudi aid agency KSrelief, as part of a Global Polio Eradication Initiative delegation, met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss strengthening Pakistan’s vaccination campaigns, tackling polio challenges and securing support for a polio-free future, according to an official statement released on Saturday.
Pakistan, along with neighboring Afghanistan, remains the last polio-endemic country in the world. The South Asian nation’s polio eradication campaign has faced serious challenges, with a significant spike in reported cases this year amid militant attacks on polio teams, prompting officials to reassess their approach to combating the crippling disease.
Pakistan reported two new polio cases from Dera Ismail Khan in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province a day earlier, bringing the total number of cases to 52 since the beginning of the year.
“Pakistan hosted a high-level delegation from the GPEI for a second time this year from Nov. 20-22,” the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program (PPEP) said in a statement, adding that the meeting reflected the highest level of political commitment to eradicating polio in the country.
The delegation included two senior KSrelief officials along with World Health Organization, Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and UNICEF representatives.
The prime minister expressed gratitude to the delegation for supporting Pakistan, emphasizing that the country considers the eradication of polio a top priority.
“A strategic National Emergency Action Plan is being implemented to reverse the virus surge, and all chief ministers and secretaries are providing direct oversight and working in coordination to fight the current polio outbreak,” Sharif was quoted as saying.
“The Government of Pakistan will not rest until we have ended the scourge of polio from our borders,” he added.
The delegation also visited metropolitan Karachi during their stay in the country, where its members met with female frontline health workers to discuss the challenges they face and explore ways to address them, the statement said.
Of the 52 polio cases reported in 2024, 24 were from Balochistan province, 13 from Sindh, 13 from KP, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad, the federal capital.
Poliovirus, which can cause crippling paralysis, particularly in young children, remains incurable and continues to threaten human health as long as it is not eradicated. Immunization campaigns have succeeded in most countries and have made significant progress in Pakistan, but persistent challenges remain.
In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported approximately 20,000 cases annually, but by 2018 the number had dropped to eight. Six cases were reported in 2023, and only one in 2021.

ISLAMABAD: The United Kingdom (UK) government this week announced £108 million in funds to support Pakistani businesses adapt to climate challenges, saying that it would help them develop technologies and meet significant investments required to tackle climate threats.
The announcement was made at the culmination of the two-day visit by British Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Middle East, Afghanistan and Pakistan Hamish Falconer to Islamabad on Friday.
The British government said the funding will support a first-of-its-kind investment facility to deliver climate technologies and private sector support in Pakistan. The program will be delivered in partnership with the International Finance Corporation.
“The UK and Pakistan are committed to tackling tomorrow’s threats today,” Falconer was quoted as saying by the British government on Friday. 
“That’s why we’re investing in the expertise needed and supporting local businesses, alongside the Government of Pakistan, to get ahead of the challenges that climate change poses to the Pakistani people and the world.”
According to the Global Climate Risk Index, Pakistan is among the countries most at risk from climate change. The 2022 floods, which experts linked to global warming, impacted over 33 million people, resulted in more than 1,700 deaths and caused an estimated $33 billion in damages.
Pakistan’s economic struggles and high debt burden put a strain on its resources and impinged its ability to respond to the disaster.
Pakistan has also been grappling with increasingly unpredictable weather patterns, including droughts, heatwaves, and heavy rainfall. This year, the country experienced its heaviest April rainfall since 1961, with 59.3 millimeters recorded. Additionally, several regions faced severe heatwaves in May and June.
“The program will leverage the £108m the UK puts in to mobilize 5-6 times that amount of investment from the private sector and will support the creation of over 100,000 Pakistani jobs,” the British government said on its official website. 
Pakistan and the UK enjoy strong military, economic and educational ties, with the latter hosting a large Pakistani diaspora.
Recent high-level visits by military leaders from both countries have signalled a deepening of defense ties and cooperation. The strong relationship is built on a shared history and the significant presence of a Pakistani diaspora in the country.