ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will hold a seven-day anti-polio drive from today, Monday, to vaccinate over 45 million children against the disease, state-run media reported as Islamabad grapples to contain the infection. 

Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure, and multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine — along with completing the routine immunization schedule for children under five — are crucial to building immunity against the virus. Pakistan, which has reported six polio cases so far in 2025, has planned three major vaccination campaigns in the first half of the year, with additional rounds scheduled for April and May. 

The seven-day campaign from Apr. 21-27 will be the second nationwide anti-polio drive to be held this year, which aims to vaccinate over 45 million children against the disease. Sharif on Sunday formally kicked off the campaign by administering polio drops to a few children during a ceremony in Islamabad. 

“It is my request to parents all over Pakistan that they help us out in administering polio drops to their children,” Sharif said at the ceremony. “Help our teams in the field so that this virus can be eliminated for good.”

The Pakistani premier thanked Islamabad’s local and international partners for helping fight the disease, saying he had no doubt Pakistan would stem the spread of the infection. 

Sharif said the government has undertaken stringent security measures in sensitive areas for polio volunteers. He called on authorities to mobilize the public so that they become “soldiers” in the fight against poliovirus. 

In 2024, Pakistan reported an alarming 74 polio cases. Along with Afghanistan, it remains one of the only two countries where polio is still endemic.

Pakistan’s polio program, launched in 1994, has faced persistent challenges including vaccine misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners who claim immunization is a foreign conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children or a guise for Western espionage.

Militant groups have also repeatedly targeted and killed polio vaccination workers. Gunmen attacked a vehicle and abducted two polio workers who were on their way home after visiting a health facility in Dera Ismail Khan, a district in restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, earlier this month. 

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates Faisal Niaz Tirmizi, said on Sunday art could serve as a powerful tool of soft power for his country, helping project its positive image on the world stage, as he visited an exhibition by a leading Pakistani artist in Dubai on its concluding day.
Titled “Vanishing Points,” the event ran from April 13 to 20 as part of Alserkal Art Week and was held at Concrete, a prominent contemporary art space at Dubai’s Alserkal Avenue.
Curated by Nada Raza, Director of the Alserkal Arts Foundation, the show featured Imran Qureshi’s latest body of work, spanning photography, video, painting and a site-specific installation, offering a vivid meditation on urban life and the visual chaos of South Asian cityscapes.
Known for pioneering a contemporary revival of Indo-Persian miniature painting, Qureshi’s practice blends traditional techniques with modern perspectives.
“Imran Qureshi’s art vividly transforms Pakistan’s day-to-day life into breathtaking visual narratives,” Tirmizi said after touring the exhibition.
“Through his lens, the bustling streets, Sufi shrines and architectural heritage come alive, arising a deep sense of connection,” he continued. “His depiction of a Sufi tomb with Qawwali resonating in the background is particularly mesmerizing and emotionally powerful.”
The ambassador emphasized the importance of art as a form of diplomacy, saying it could promote cross-cultural understanding and enhance Pakistan’s global standing.
He also pledged support for future cultural collaborations in the UAE, particularly with platforms like Alserkal Avenue that promote diverse artistic voices.
A recipient of Pakistan’s Sitara-i-Imtiaz, one of the country’s highest civilian honors, and France’s Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres, a prestigious distinction recognizing significant contributions to the arts and literature, Qureshi is among the internationally celebrated artists.
His works are housed in prominent collections, including The Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Victoria and Albert Museum and the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi.
Qureshi’s works are also featured in Art Dubai, another major international art fair running in the city.
This year’s Art Dubai edition includes work by 10 Pakistani artists, reflecting the country’s growing presence on the global contemporary art scene.