Haji Hanif Tayyab motivates Rotarians for complete polio eradication

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Haji Mohammad Hanif Tayyab, an eminent religious scholar, a former federal minister and the chairman of the Ulema Committee of Rotary, while congratulating the newly installed office-bearers of Rotary International in Pakistan, has urged them to work with renewed enthusiasm for the complete eradication of polio from Pakistan in the very near future.

He praised the efforts of the Pakistan Polio Plus Committee, headed by Aziz Memon, and expressed the hope that the new Rotary leadership will sustain the efforts in throwing the deadly disease out of this world. 

“Rotary has worked actively for polio eradication in Pakistan. They have conducted Ulema workshops in different cities to dispel the misconceptions around polio vaccine. Shariah has made this clear that there is no harm in it rather the treatment is an obligation,” Haji Hanif Tayyab remarked in his motivational talk to the incoming Rotary leaders. 

“We are very close indeed to eradicating polio. Now it becomes the responsibility of the new Rotary leadership to do it. Your efforts are needed and your commitment is desired to accomplish this cherished goal,” he reminded the Rotarians. 

Having rendered monumental social services under the banner of Al-Mustafa Welfare Trust, Haji Hanif Tayyab has been in the forefront in galvanizing the efforts for the eradication of polio.

As chairman of the Ulema Committee of Rotary, he has addressed many workshops all over the country organized by Pakistan Polio Plus Committee with the aim of increasing interactions at grassroots through religious scholars and leaders in madrasas, educational institutions and mosques. 

He has been highlighting the understanding of all Ulemas in principle and as per the Islamic point of view, that polio vaccination did not harm children, it was safe and approved by the Organization of Islamic Council (OIC). 

He has elaborated that Islam has stressed the health of our child was the prime responsibility of all parents. Therefore as per Islamic rules it became the responsibility of all to provide full vaccination to their children to save them from diseases and ill health.

The Pakistan Polio Plus Committee Chair, Aziz Memon, has remained confident all along that Rotary’s global contribution for polio eradication will make the world free from the crippling disease in not too distant future. 

“We have had to focus on missed children and refusals. Therefore extra effort is imperative through our learned religious scholars and Ulemas at district, union council and grassroots level communities especially to address Pashtun communities migrating from Afghanistan, South Waziristan to other parts of the country,” he remarked. 

Highlighting on the important role of Ulemas, he said that all Ulemas must spread the word to other Ulemas and religious clerics in mosques, and madarsa’s to allow vaccinators to administrate polio drop to children and save them from this crippling disease which has no cure. 

He stressed that awareness and motivation was not only needed in poor communities but it was equally needed for intellectual segment of affluent civil societies.