Militants block polio vaccinations

The eradication of polio is not far off. The incidence of this crippling disease has reduced from 350,000 cases a year 20 years ago, last year there were just 1659 cases, most of which were in Nigeria, India and Pakistan. Although the figures for 2009 indicate a further reduction this year, this could be subverted by the ignorance and suspicion of cretinous militant islamist.

According the Telegraph Taliban militants in Swat Valley in Northern Pakistan have obstructed officials from vaccinating over 300,000 children. Militants have seized control of most of Swat and its capital, Mingora, and have extended their rule since striking a peace deal with the government and army earlier this year.

“There is a real emergency there. It is urgent to go in and vaccinate children,” said Dr Nima Abid, the Polio Team leader from the World Health Organisation in Pakistan. “Polio vaccination is effective in first three months of the year when virus transmission is lowest and so there is no interference with the vaccine virus,” said Dr Abid.

Militants had reportedly agreed to allow the vaccination program to take place as part of the peace agreements. However, they had reneged on their word and despite assiduous efforts made by the increasingly irrelevant local administration, no vaccinations have taken place.

“It’s a US tool to cut the population of the Muslims. It is against Islam that you take a medicine before the disease”, said, Muslim Khan, Swat’s Taliban spokesman, speaking by telephone.

Swat had recorded 4 cases of polio last year of the total 53 recorded by NWFP and the tribal areas. Pakistan had 118 cases in 2009.

Militants in the tribal areas of Bajaur and Mohmand have also opposed polio vaccinations.

It’s not the first time that Islamists have obstructed attempts to eradicate polio but their sheer idiocy continues to anger. Perhaps the bastards will do something decent and for once and evolve into a higher life form – an amoeba might not be out of their reach.

Pakistan commutes 7000 death sentences

Pakistan has reprieved 7,000 death row inmates and commuted their sentences to life imprisonment, in one of the biggest amnesties in modern times. The Cabinet this week approved the reprieve in a special gesture designed to mark the life of the former Prime Minister, who was assassinated late last year and would have turned 55 last month.

Amnesty International said the reprieve, which will come into force after being rubber-stamped by President Musharraf, would benefit almost one third of the world’s death row population, which is estimated to be around 24,000. Pakistan is believed to have the largest number of prisoners on death row anywhere in the world.

However, radical Mullahs called on Muslims to protest against the clemency, which they claimed was “un-Islamic”. They warned the government not to interfere Islamic Sharia law. The Mullahs have also challenged the decision in the courts, saying under Islamic laws only relatives of murder victims could pardon the offender. In the past, wealthier convicts have often benefitted from this provision and escaped a death sentence by paying compensation to the victim’s family.

This gesture may not save everyone on Pakistan’s overcrowded death rows but it is a gesture to be welcomed. Here’s hoping an abolition of the death penalty will not be too far behind regardless of the bloodthirsty views of the fundamentalists

The (Cricket) world turned upside down

I will happily admit that not only do I fail Norman Tebbit's cricket test I don't even make it to the exam room. However, I couldn’t resist this result from the Cricket World Cup: Ireland 133-7 beat Pakistan 132 by three wickets.

Pakistan, one of the top cricketing nations beaten by minnows, are now out of the World Cup beaten by a nation where cricket is only marginally less popular than pro-am shove ha’penny! (in the Republic anyway, the team does represent the whole island).

I won't insult anyone by commenting on the match itself. Here are a couple of reports:

Irish Independent

BBC