LAHORE: At least 11,000 health care workers of Pakistan’s anti-polio campaign, who were also mobilized to fight the coronavirus, have lost their jobs since June due to the restructuring and funding cuts of the anti-polio program, Dr. Rana Muhammad Safdar, coordinator for the country’s National Emergency Operation Center for polio eradication, told Arab News on Tuesday.
Majority of those laid off are women who were performing their duties in the provinces of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The two federating units have also witnessed maximum number of polio cases this year and host the “core reservoirs” of the polio virus, Safdar added.
So far, Pakistan has reported 64 poliovirus cases this year, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa recording the highest number (22) followed by Sindh (21).
The decision to reduce the polio staff was made late last year, he continued. During a review in Islamabad, attended by the former special assistant to prime minister on health, Dr. Zafar Mirza, it was decided to change the approach of the campaign and the working modalities of the on-ground teams.
Earlier, health care workers would be employed for the entire month and paid up to Rs. 25,000.
“The nature of employment is now changed,” Safdar explained. Under new rules, lady health care workers are only hired for 10 days in parts of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and paid a daily amount, rather than for the whole month.
In a letter, dated April 23, seen by Arab News, the Emergency Operations Center for the polio eradication program in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa instructed government authorities to scale down the community-based vaccination strategy in the province, “keeping in view funding constraints and challenges.”
“Consequently, funding has not been secured for these Union Councils [administrative units] beyond May 30,” the letter added.
Safdar admitted finances were among the reasons for job losses. “Overall, donor attention was diverted because of the coronavirus,” he explained. “But we tried to negotiate with them to ensure that our planned campaigns were not affected.”
Pakistan recorded its first case of the novel coronavirus on February 26. As the caseload increased, door-to-door polio immunization campaigns were suspended in March, only to resume on a smaller scale in July.
According to the Pakistan Polio Eradication Program, the country will launch a sub-national polio eradication campaign this week to vaccinate 34 million children under the age of five in 130 districts.
According to the trade union, the Polio Worker Action Committee, the government has sacked 13,000 workers: 11,000 of them are from Sindh and over 2,000 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A polio coordinator working in KP, however, gave a more precise figure, saying 1,992 staff members were laid off in the province.
Farzana Arshad, 45, remained part of the anti-polio campaigns in Peshawar since 2016. On May 1, she was told through a text message that her services were no longer required.
Her monthly earning of Rs. 24,500 ended abruptly, and she is unsure how to pay for the education of her three children. “They took away our job during the pandemic,” she told Arab News over the phone from her home in Peshawar.
Recently, she was contacted again and asked to rejoin the program, but she was told that her contract would only be for 10 days, implying that she would earn less than half of her previous salary.
“In the last four years, I was threatened, followed home by people on motorcycles, but I kept working,” she said. “I am poor. I have to work to support my family.”
Arshad and other community health care workers like her were also diverted in March to help track down contacts of COVID-19 cases in different parts of the country.
Shabana, a single mother of one in Karachi, was also sacked in May. She received the message from the program during the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan, only a few days short of Eid Al-Fitr, making her bitterly cry. Remembering that moment, the 28-year-old told Arab News that her job was her only source of income.
“The whole country told us we were heroes for fighting coronavirus and polio together,” she said over the phone. “Is this how you treat your heroes?”
Ghausuddin, who heads the Polio Workers’ Action Committee, held a press conference in Karachi in June to highlight the plight of the fired health care workers. “Most of the women are still sitting at home and are unable to find work,” he told Arab News. “It is a tough situation for them. Many of them have been living on borrowed money since losing their job.”
Pakistan cuts 11,000 polio jobs due to restructuring, funding cuts
https://arab.news/wxb8b
Pakistan cuts 11,000 polio jobs due to restructuring, funding cuts
- Most workers who lost jobs are women from the provinces of Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
- Many of them are still looking for new sources of earning and are living on borrowed money
Pakistan parliament approves bills to extend tenure of services chiefs to five years
- Extension in services of army, navy and air force chiefs follows controversial amendments to the constitution last month
- The opposition PTI party condemns the amendments for changing Pakistan “from a democracy into a monarchy”
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate on Monday approved bills to extend the tenure of the army, navy, and air force chiefs from three to five years, amid protests by the opposition benches.
The office of the army chief is considered to be the most powerful in the country, with the army having ruled Pakistan for almost half of its 75-year history. Even when not directly in power, the army is considered to be the invisible guiding hand in politics and holds considerable sway in internal security, foreign policy, and economic affairs, among other domains.
Six bills were passed by the upper and lower houses on Monday evening, including one to increase the term of the services chiefs.
“In the said Act, in section 8A, in sub-section (1), for the expression “three (03)” the word “five (05)” shall be substituted,” read the bill, seeking to amend the Pakistan Army Act, 1952.
Similar bills were passed to increase the duration of the country’s naval and air force chiefs to five years also.
“The purpose of these amendments are to make consistent the Pakistan Army Act, 1952 (XXXIX of 1952) The Pakistan Navy Ordinance, 1961 (Ordinance No. XXXV of 1961) and The Pakistan Air Force Act, 1953 (VI of 1953) with the maximum tenure of the Chief of the Army Staff, the Chief of the Naval Staff and the Chief of the Air Staff and to make consequential amendments for uniformity in the aforementioned laws.”
Speaking outside parliament, the chairman of the opposition PTI party, Gohar Ali Khan, said:
“Today, democracy has been changed into a monarchy.”
Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub Khan, said “modifying the service chiefs’ tenure is not a good thing for the country and the armed forces.”
The passage of the new bills follows controversial amendments made to the constitution last month, granting lawmakers the authority to nominate the chief justice of Pakistan, who previously used to be automatically appointed according to the principle of seniority.
The amendments allowed the government to bypass the senior-most judge of the Supreme Court, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, and appoint Justice Yahya Afridi as the country’s top judge, replacing former chief justice Qazi Faez Isa.
The opposition and the legal fraternity had opposed the amendments, arguing that they were aimed at granting more power to the executive in making judicial appointments and curtailing the independence of the judiciary. The government denies this.
Pakistani forces kill six militants in shootouts near border with Afghanistan — military
- Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks recently
- Pakistan blames the surge in militancy on militants operating out of Afghanistan, Kabul denies the allegations
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani security forces have killed six militants in two separate engagements in the country’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, the Pakistani military said on Monday.
A militant was killed in an exchange of fire during an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan’s Dosali area, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military’s media wing.
In the second incident, Pakistani forces intercepted a group of militants while infiltrating the country’s border with Afghanistan in the South Waziristan district. Five militants were killed as a result.
“Pakistan has consistently been asking Interim Afghan Government to ensure effective border management on their side of the border,” the ISPR said in a statement.
“Interim Afghan Government is expected to fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by Khwarij [militants] for perpetuating acts of terrorism against Pakistan.”
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which borders Afghanistan, has witnessed a number of attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other militant groups that targeted security forces convoys and check posts, besides targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Pakistan has frequently accused neighboring Afghanistan of sheltering and supporting militant groups, urging the Taliban administration in Kabul to prevent its territory from being used by armed factions to launch cross-border attacks.
Afghan officials, however, deny involvement, insisting Pakistan’s security issues are an internal matter of Islamabad.
Pakistan Navy test-fires ship-launched ballistic missile ranging 350 kilometers
- The missile is capable of striking land and sea targets with ‘high precision’
- Pakistan, India consider their missile programs as deterrent against each other
KARACHI: Pakistan Navy has successfully test-fired a ship-launched ballistic missile having a range of 350 km and capable of striking both land and sea targets, it said on Monday.
Pakistan sees its missile development as a deterrent against nuclear-armed arch-foe India. Both countries have fought multiple wars since their independence from Britain in 1947.
The two South Asian neighbors have long been developing missiles of varying ranges in a bid to ensure deterrence against possible attacks from each other, with analysts often warning these developments could push the region into an arms race.
“Pakistan Navy conducted a successful flight test of an indigenously developed ship-launched ballistic missile,” the Directorate General of Public Relations (DGPR) of Pakistan Navy said in a statement.
“The weapon system with 350km range is capable of engaging land and sea targets with high precision.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikldB3jieWo
The flight test of the weapon system, equipped with a state-of-the-art navigation system and maneuverability features, was witnessed by Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, senior naval officers, scientists and engineers.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza, Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir and Chief of Air Staff Air Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu congratulated the participating navy units and scientists on the development.
Qatar investment team due in Pakistan this month, PM Sharif says after Doha visit
- The statement comes days after Sharif visited Qatar seeking to bolster economic cooperation between both nations
- Before arriving in Doha, Sharif attended the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh and met the Saudi Crown Prince
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday a team of the Qatar Investment Authority (QIA) will visit Pakistan this month to set up an information technology (IT) park in the South Asian country.
The statement came days after Sharif visited Qatar while seeking to bolster economic cooperation amid Pakistan’s efforts to boost foreign investment to stabilize its frail $350 billion economy.
Before arriving in Doha, Sharif attended the Future Investment Initiative in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he discussed trade and investment with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.
Speaking at a meeting of his cabinet, Sharif said a QIA team will visit Pakistan this month, while its chief of Asia-Pacific & Africa Investments, Faisal Bin Thani Al Thani, will also arrive in Islamabad by the end of this month.
“Qatar emir said the same thing. They also suggested setting up an IT park here [in Pakistan],” Sharif told his cabinet members in televised comments.
During his visit, Sharif led delegation-level talks with the Qatari emir before holding a separate meeting with him to discuss a wide array of issues.
“The leaders reviewed the entire spectrum of Pakistan-Qatar relations, exploring potential avenues for enhanced cooperation in trade, potential areas of investment, energy, and culture,” Sharif’s office said last week.
He also met a delegation of the Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA) and invited them to invest in Pakistan’s energy, infrastructure and technology sectors.
The developments came amid Pakistan’s attempts to increase trade and foreign investment after it narrowly escaped a default last year by securing a last-gasp $3 billion financial assistance package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The South Asian country has since sought to promote closer economic ties with regional and international allies to bolster its fragile economy, which has been suffering from a prolonged macroeconomic crisis.
Pakistan central bank cuts key rate by 250 bps to 15%
- Monday’s move follows cuts of 150 bps in June, 100 in July and 200 in September
- It takes the total policy rate cuts in the country to 700 bps in under five months
KARACHI: Pakistan’s central bank cut its key policy rate by 250 basis points to 15 percent on Monday, it said in a statement, for a fourth straight reduction since June, as the country keeps up efforts to revive a sluggish economy with inflation easing.
Most respondents in a Reuters poll last week expected a cut of 200 bps after inflation moved down sharply from a multi-decade high of nearly 40 percent in May 2023, saying reductions were needed to bolster growth.
Average consumer price index inflation in the South Asian country is 8.7 percent in the current financial year, which started in July, the statistics bureau says. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) expects inflation to average 9.5 percent for the year ending June.
Monday’s move follows cuts of 150 bps in June, 100 bps in July, and 200 in September that have taken the rate from an all-time high of 22 percent, set in June 2023 and left unchanged for a year. It takes the total cuts to 700 bps in under five months.
October inflation came in at 7.2 percent, slightly above the government’s expectation of 6 percent to 7 percent. The finance ministry expects inflation to slow further to 5.5 percent to 6.5 percent in November.
However, inflation could pick up again in 2025, driven by electricity and gas price increases after a new $7-billion IMF bailout, and the potential impact of taxes on the retail, wholesale and the farm sector announced in the June budget to take effect in January 2025, some analysts say.
