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KARACHI: Pakistan’s health minister had his daughter vaccinated against cervical cancer on live television on Saturday to counter rumors about side effects, a symbolic move aimed at reassuring parents as the country rolls out the shot nationwide.

Since Pakistan began offering the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine this month, social media posts have circulated claiming girls were falling sick and that the jab could cause infertility.

Health officials and international agencies say the typical side effects are mild and temporary — such as soreness in the arm or a brief fever — and there is no scientific evidence linking the vaccine to infertility.

“Pakistan is the 151st country in the world where this vaccination has been administered,” Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said at a news conference after the televised inoculation. “Prior to that, this vaccine has been used in 150 countries in which almost all Muslim states are included.”

He acknowledged it was difficult to bring his family before the cameras but said he wanted to highlight prevention.

“Since the start of this vaccination, there has been negative and misleading propaganda,” he said. “Today I thought that no Pakistani mother, sister or daughter should refuse this vaccine because of false propaganda and then lose her life as a result.”

Pakistan introduced the HPV shot in September with support from the World Health Organization (WHO), UNICEF and the Gavi vaccine alliance. The first phase targets girls aged 9 to 14 in selected districts, with authorities planning to expand coverage in coming years.

The vaccine protects against cervical cancer, which develops from persistent infection with high-risk types of the HPV, a common virus that can cause cancers later in life, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Vaccination before exposure can prevent most cases, according to the WHO, which has recommended the jab for adolescent girls since 2006.

Cervical cancer is one of the leading cancers among women in Pakistan.

The International Agency for Research on Cancer, a WHO body, said in April there were an estimated 4,762 new cases of cervical cancer in 2023, resulting in about 3,069 deaths from the disease.

KARACHI: The government said on Saturday it expected slower growth in public debt in the current fiscal year amid a stabilizing economy, as it rejected claims that Pakistan’s overall debt had doubled in the past three years.

Officials have repeatedly said the country’s macroeconomic indicators have improved markedly since mid-2023, when Pakistan narrowly avoided a sovereign default and secured a short-term International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan with tough reform conditions.

The economy’s recovery has since been recognized by multilateral lenders and credit rating agencies. Yet, some social media posts were creating a misleading impression that Pakistan’s debt burden had doubled since 2022, according to Khurram Schehzad, an advisor to the finance minister.

“The central government’s debt stood at PKR 80 trillion [$280 billion] as of June 2025,” Schehzad said in a statement, adding that contrary to claims that it had doubled, the debt stock had only increased "by PKR 31 trillion [$108.5 billion] between FY22-25, from PKR 49 trillion [$171.5 billion] to current PKR 80 trillion [$280 billion].”

He pointed out annual debt growth that once ran as high as 23 percent in FY22 and 28 percent in FY23 had eased to about 13 percent in FY24 and FY25, crediting a record primary budget surplus and the country’s early repayments of more than Rs2.6 trillion ($9.1 billion) within the last 11 months.

Schehzad also pointed to other signs of stabilization, saying the share of external debt had fallen to 32 percent of the total, reducing vulnerability to swings in the rupee, while in dollar terms external debt has inched up by only $2.9 billion over three and a half years.

Strong remittances of $38 billion and current account surpluses further underpinned the currency, he added.

He said Pakistan’s debt-to-GDP ratio has declined to around 70 percent from 77 percent in FY20, while interest costs dropped by Rs850 billion ($3 billion) in FY25 alone, helping shrink the federal fiscal deficit to Rs7.1 trillion ($24.9 billion), below the budgeted Rs8.5 trillion ($29.8 billion).

"With the economy stabilizing — as evidenced by rating upgrades from international agencies and a stable currency, FY26 is expected to see a further limitation in debt growth and continued fiscal improvement," he added.