ISLAMABAD   -  Caretaker Prime Minister An­waar-ul-Haq Kakar has em­phasized on accelerating efforts to make Pakistan a po­lio-free country.

Addressing a ceremony on the World Polio Day in Islam­abad on Tuesday, he said 99 percent of the world has be­come polio free with the ex­ception of Pakistan and Af­ghanistan. He said Pakistan’s Polio Programme is vigilant and robust and our health workers are rendering commendable services in eliminating the virus from the country. He em­phasized on moving for­ward to 2024 with a re­alization that the weight global eradication lies very much on our shoul­ders. He said that it is im­portant to vaccinate every child before the poliovirus gets a chance to perma­nently change his life. He said children of Pakistan and Afghanistan deserve a healthy childhood, where they can play and roam freely, like every child in the world. Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar also commended and appreciated the polio workers and security per­sonnel for their efforts and sacrifices in making Paki­stan free of this disease. He thanked global partners for their support and co­operation in fight against the poliovirus. On the oc­casion, the Prime Minister distributed shields among polio workers and certifi­cates of acknowledgement among the family mem­bers of security officials, who laid down their lives in this campaign against the virus. Meanwhile, the PM chaired a meeting re­garding Urea availability for Rabi crop wherein he directed to ensure timely and uninterrupted supply of fertilizer to the farmers for Rabi crop.