DCO KARACHI STARTS ANTI POLIO CAMPAIGN

Karachi. Jan 26: About 527 teams of vaccinators will administer oral polio vaccination in over 2.7 million children below 5 years of age during 3 day anti polio vaccination campaign in Karachi.

Over five thousand health workers will take part in the campaign which is extendable if the target is not achieved in the scheduled time.

This was stated by District Coordination Officer Karachi Muhammad Hussain Syed while talking to media representatives at the launch of the polio vaccination drive by administering polio drops to children in Civic Center on Wednesday. The DCO also addressed a meeting on this occasion which was attended by town health and municipal officers and representatives of World Health Organization, UNICEF and NGOs. EDO Health Dr. Nasir Javed, EDO E&IP Dr. Saif-ur-Rehman, EDO Education Ibrahim Kanbhar and other city government officers were also present on this occasion.

The meeting discussed and finalized the strategies to make the polio eradication campaign successful.

Speaking on this occasion, DCO Karachi Muhammad Hussain Syed said that Pakistan is still among those four countries where polio virus exists, therefore all possible measures should be taken for eradication of this virus and to make our country polio free.

He said that city government will try its best to achieve the target during the current campaign. A total of 284 health centers have been set up in different areas of city to provide the facility of oral anti polio vaccination.

DCO Karachi said that the THO of the concerned town has the main responsibility to make the campaign successful in their town with the cooperation of Town Municipal Officer, adding that written complain will be forwarded to government against the town health officer who would not fulfill his duty.

He said that the katchi abadies and rural areas will be focused more during the campaign. He also appealed to citizens of Karachi to take this campaign seriously and ensure oral anti polio vaccination in all children below 5 years of age.

This was also decided in the meeting that the Director Private Schools will appoint focal person for administering oral anti polio drops who would also coordinate with the DDO Revenue and union council secretary for the campaign.

EDO Health Dr. Nasir Javed and representative of WHO and town municipal Officers also gave briefing about their respective areas during the meeting.

Jumbo World Cup books offer greater reading pleasure as tournament nears

Four of the seven sports books brought out by Jumbo Publishing so far have been on the subject of the Cricket World Cup, two each on the last couple of editions of what is considered to be the showpiece event of the game.

The Cricket World Cup 2011 is round the corner and it’s the ideal time for the game’s followers to touch base with the mega event by revisiting the past tournaments in order to refresh their memories.

Fiasco, which is an eye-witness account of the World Cup 2007, reveals a lot of facts that might even amuse you. The chapters on the high-profile Bob Woolmer murder case, which was later withdrawn, serve as eye-openers.

Fiasco, authored by Ehsan Qureshi, has brought to light a few of the characteristics of the Pakistan captain, Inzamam-ul-Haq, that no other journalist had dared reporting. There are exclusive profiles of many of the characters responsible for bringing about debacle for Pakistan in the tournament.

Mission Caribbean also concerns the World Cup 2007, staged in the Islands across the Caribbean Sea for the first time, but this book was published on the eve of the tournament that attracted a huge number of tourists from all over the world.

Mission Caribbean, authored by Syed Khalid Mahmood, is a handbook on the World Cup 2007, containing the pen-sketches of all the members of every 16 participating team, Australia, Pakistan, England, Sri Lanka, India, New Zealand, South Africa, West Indies, Bangladesh, Zimbabwe, Kenya, Canada, Scotland, Netherlands, Ireland and Bermuda.

Top of the Charts is a kind of unique book in which the top 25 performers of the World Cup 2003 have been profiled in detail. Syed Khalid Mahmood has given his thoughts about the 25 cricketers who, in his opinion, dominated the event.

The cricketers to be profiled in Top of the Charts include Ricky Ponting, Glenn McGrath, Adam Gilchrist, Sourav Ganguly, Sachin Tendulkar, Zaheer Khan, James Anderson, Shane Bond, Wasim Akram, Brian Lara, Herschelle Gibbs and Chaminda Vaas.

Spotlight on World Cup 2003, another effort of Syed Khalid Mahmood, covers the spectacular tournament in a different way. There are contributions from eminent people like Wasim Akram, Sikander Bakht and Azeem Sarwar who have shared their own experience.

Spotlight on World Cup 2003 has the scorecards of all the matches with the narration of the 10 most exciting games of the tournament played in the African continent for the first time. There are chapters on the various issues related to the event that generated a lot of interest.

**For details of the above books, please write to jumbopublishing@yahoo.com or call Asad Raza at 0333-2304024

HRCP plea for security for non-Muslims in Balochistan

Lahore, January 19: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has asked the Balochistan government to address concerns of members of non-Muslim communities residing in Balochistan regarding growing incidents of abduction of non-Muslims in the province.

According to a press statement issued on Wednesday, HRCP has conveyed to Balochistan Chief Minister Nawab Aslam Raisani the concern among non-Muslim communities in the province over the recent increase in abductions of non-Muslims there. The latest incidents include the abduction of Mr Maharaj Lakhmigar of Qalat on December 21, and of Mr Rajeev Kumar from Noshki on January 10. HRCP said that several other incidents of abduction of non-Muslim citizens in Balochistan had also been reported in the media in the last few months.

HRCP said that while those abducting Mr Lakhmigar had asked for his community to raise funds for his release, without mentioning any amount, the abductors of Mr Kumar had not contacted the family so far. “The families of the abducted individuals are obviously in great mental agony and fear for their safety. This spate of abductions has also increased a sense of insecurity and vulnerability across the non-Muslim population in the province,” HRCP said.

“Balochistan has long enjoyed considerable reputation as an area where non-Muslims have lived in relative peace and safety. No effort should be spared to ensure that that reputation remains untarnished,” HRCP said, requesting the chief minister to ensure that all necessary measures are taken to allay the fears of non-Muslim citizens in Balochistan and restore a sense of security among them.