Islamabad: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed the government's commitment to completely eliminate polio from the country. He expressed this resolve while chairing a review meeting on polio eradication in Islamabad today. The Prime Minister appreciated the efforts of polio teams and emphasized the need for sustained action to achieve a polio-free Pakistan.

According to Radio Pakistan, the meeting was informed that only one polio case has been reported so far in 2026, originating from District Sujawal in Sindh. This marks a significant decrease compared to the 74 cases reported in 2024 and 31 in 2025. Furthermore, it was noted that no cases have been reported this year from Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Officials highlighted that the number of affected districts has dropped substantially, from 67 in early 2025 to 23 in 2026. Nationwide campaign coverage has been maintained at 98 percent. The meeting also discussed the development of a strategy to integrate the Expanded Program on Immunization with the Polio Eradication Initiative at both federal and provincial levels. Efforts are underway to link and condition the initiatives of the Benazir Income Support Programme with polio eradication efforts.