Dr. Waseem Khawaja (Health Expert): It should be kept in mind that polio vaccination is the only way to save millions of children in Pakistan. In PIMs, polio vaccination is administered on a daily basis from 8 am to 2 pm free of cost. Unfortunately, the refusal cases have done tremendous damage. Over the years, various conspiracy theories have circulated about polio vaccine as some people consider it as a western conspiracy. Frequent vaccination campaigns are organized because children require a certain number of doses to ensure their adequate protection against the disease. The government should devise awareness campaigns to convince parents to administer polio to save their child's future. It is better to get your children vaccinated rather than regretting rest of the life.

Dr. Shahzad Ali Khan (Vice Chancellor & Dean, Health Services Academy): It is a fact that polio virus can be still effective even in .01 percent of children. In the past few years, no polio case was reported. But unfortunately there are some families that are hesitant to administer polio drops to their children. It is unfortunate that despite a massive media campaign and government's efforts, three new cases of polio have been reported in North Waziristan. After investigation, it was found that many children in North Waziristan were administered polio drops even for once. Pakistan is the only country where doo-to-door campaigns for polio vaccination are carried out. The world’s eyes are focused on Pakistan and our health authorities are making hectic efforts to eradicate the virus. Now it is up to the parents and society as a whole to cooperate and encourage the culture of getting children vaccinated not only against polio but also against all other vaccine-preventable diseases. We must appreciate the contributions of the World Health Organization and Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation for extending technical and financial support to Pakistan's anti-polio campaign.

Ali Sarwar Naqvi (Former Ambassador): The unprecedented challenge of climate change has caused decline in crop yields and production losses in the region. Keeping in view the incre­a­­se in severity of droughts in Pakistan, the participation of Foreign Minister 'Global Food Security’ summit in New York is very important. Moreover, it is going to be the first direct interaction between the foreign ministers of the two countries. It has been a number of years since the foreign ministers of the US and Pakistan had a face to face meeting. The foreign minister during his visit to the United States will be seeking US support and assistance on certain global issues and good working relations other than the global security and food security.