Islamabad, December 13; National and Provincial Legislators from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province need to work in harmony to eradicate Polio from the province. This was reiterated at a Briefing Session for KP MPs on Polio Eradication A National Emergency in Pakistan, organized by PILDAT.

Members of Parliament from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa belonging to different major political parties met with Deputy Speaker National Assembly Honourable Mr. Faisal Karim Kundi, MNA in the chair and Ms. Shahnaz Wazir Ali, MNA and Chairperson Prime Minister's Polio Monitoring Cell.

Welcoming the members, Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, President PILDAT, said that the elected representatives can play a very effective role in the specific context of eliminating Polio. It is their responsibility to see that universal coverage against polio is effectively provided across the province.

Mr. Faisal Karim Kindi, MNA, Deputy Speaker National Assembly, said that the national and provincial legislators should work in harmony to eradicate polio. He was of the opinion that elected representatives should participate actively in the polio campaigns and should be seen working in the field so that the people are motivated and encouraged.

Parliamentarians in the discussion highlighted that for the eradication of polio, work needs to be done at the Union Council Level. The emphasized that local government system is the key for implementing an effective polio eradication strategy at the grassroots level.

In her closing remarks, Ms. Shahnaz Wazir Ali, MNA and Chairperson Prime Minister�s Polio Monitoring Cell said that maintaining the cold chain is the basic need to eradicate polio from the province. She said that local administration should involve elected representatives of the area in polio campaigns and also should invite them to meetings of local committees to monitor the outcome of the polio campaigns. She thanked PILDAT and hoped that members of the Parliament from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will work in harmony to show that they have the political will and resolve to address the menace of polio in the province.

MPs from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who participated in the briefing session included Senator Farah Aqil, Senator A.N. Bangash, Engr. Usman Khan, MNA, Senator Shahi Syed, Senator Farhat Abbas, Mr. Humayun Saif Ullah Khan, MNA, Senator Ahmed Hassan, Senator Haji Ghulam Ali, Mr. Faisal Karim Kundi, MNA, Ms. Shahnaz Wazir Ali, MNA and Mr. Azmat Khan, MNA.