Sartaj rejects reports of forcing Pakistanis at Saudi airport to intake polio drops

Sartaj rejects reports of forcing Pakistanis at Saudi airport to intake polio drops

ISLAMABAD: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz Monday dispelled this impression that Pakistani citizens were facing discriminatory treatment at Saudi airports to intake polio drops.

Replying to a point of public importance in the Senate raised by Senator Mohsin Aziz, Sartaj Aziz said this is not true that Pakistani citizens were being forced to intake polio drops before entry into Saudi Arabia.

He said citizens of many other countries were being administered polio drops at Saudi airports including Afghanistan, Iraq, Somalia, Yemen and Nigeria.

He said Saudi Arabia was seriously taking the measure of World Health Organization (WHO)'s polio certification.

Sartaj said, "Due to sincere efforts of the government of Pakistan, polio cases were dropped to only few this year and we're on the verge of eliminating one of the most crippling diseases."

Replying to another point of public importance, raised by Senator Farhatullah Babar regarding closer of Pak-Turk schools in Pakistan, he said the government had addressed the issue with no academic loss to students. (APP)