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KARACHI: Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Pakistan prime minister’s focal person for polio eradication, on Friday commended frontline workers for risking their lives to protect children from polio, as the South Asian country marked the World Polio Day.

The World Polio Day is observed on Oct. 24 each year to raise awareness about global efforts to eradicate the disease that mainly affects children and can cause paralysis. It marks the birth of Dr. Jonas Salk, who developed the first polio vaccine.

Pakistan has reported 30 polio cases so far this year. The South Asian country this month ran a week-long immunization campaign, with anti-polio vaccinators going door-to-door to vaccinate over 45 million children nationwide despite multiple attacks.

“In every polio campaign, more than 400,000 frontline heroes go door-to-door to ensure the protection of every child,” Farooq was quoted as saying by the country’s polio program. “The dedication and courage of frontline health workers are the true driving force behind Pakistan’s fight against polio.”

Pakistan is among the last two nations in the world, along with Afghanistan, where the disease remains endemic.

The country has made remarkable progress since the 1990s, when annual polio cases exceeded 20,000, bringing them down to just eight by 2018. However, Pakistan recorded 74 cases in 2024, a sharp increase from six in 2023 and only one in 2021.

Pakistan’s efforts to eliminate poliovirus have been hampered by parental refusals, widespread misinformation and repeated attacks on anti-polio workers by militant groups. In remote and volatile areas, vaccination teams often operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have also been targeted and killed in attacks.

Farooq called for renewed efforts to eradicate the virus to guarantee a safe and healthy future for every child in Pakistan.

“World Polio Day is a reminder of our commitment and our promise to achieve a polio-free Pakistan,” she added.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday underscored Pakistan’s strategic position as a regional tri-junction connecting China, Central Asia and the Middle East, emphasizing the country’s potential to drive greater trade, transport and digital cooperation across the wider region.

Sharif’s comments came during his address with attendees at a regional transport ministers’ conference in Islamabad, which brought together officials from neighboring countries to discuss infrastructure, trade and cross-border cooperation.

The prime minister said Pakistan’s long coastline makes its ports key transit points on the Maritime Silk Road, a maritime section of the historic Silk Road that connected Asia, Indian subcontinent, Arabian Peninsula and Africa, and Europe.

“Our geography links the warm waters of the Arabian Sea and the Arabian Gulf, traversing the majestic Karakoram and Himalayan [mountain] range and flowing through the timeless Indus Valley,” he said.

“We are at the confluence of China, the Eurasian land bridge and the Middle East — a unique tri-junction of economic corridors connecting China, Central Asia and the broader Middle East.”

The summit comes at a time when Pakistan is trying boost trade and investment by establishing itself as a regional transit hub. In recent years, Islamabad has undertaken several trade, regional connectivity and energy initiatives such as the

Uzbekistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan Railway Framework Agreement, the Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad corridor, and the CASA-1000 and TAP-500 electricity transmission projects.

Sharif shared that his government has been working on these initiatives to enhance regional connectivity, adding that these projects offer a “great opportunity” to revolutionize cross-border trade.

“I am confident that these mega projects would synergize the economic strength of regional countries and usher in a new era of enhanced trade, economic cooperation and energy collaboration in the region, and of course, beyond,” the Pakistan premier said.

Pakistan has also been prioritizing digital trade platforms and e-port integration to create seamless, paperless and efficient flows, boosting efficiency, transparency and competitiveness.

In today’s digital age, Sharif noted, connectivity is not just limited to roads, railways and air links, but it has also evolved into data, innovation, research and development, and technological integration.

“Pakistan is investing in digital infrastructure to ensure that we are adequately equipped to catch up with the fourth industrial revolution around the globe,” he said.

Sharif noted that 60 percent of his country’s population ages between 15 and 30 years, which can be turned into its greatest asset if they are provided with ample opportunities in the fields of information technology, artificial intelligence, and vocational training.

“We don’t have black gold, but we have our youth as our greatest asset, which will become the harbinger of Pakistan’s speedy progress and prosperity in times to come,” he added.