KARACHl: A special polio campaign to inoculate the children of 78 `sensitive` union councils of the metropolis has been put off because of lack of security to Jan 20, when a nationwide anti-polio drive is scheduled to kick off, officials said on Tuesday.

The campaign, known as short interval additional dose of polio drops, was to be launched on Monday in the city`s 78 UCs bracketed as `sensitive` because of security reasons.

However, the organisers opted to abandon the plans after the local police rejected their request for security personnel. `We are not going with our plans for the campaign in the 78 UCs as per schedule because of unavailability of security cover for our teams,` said Dr Mazhar Khamisani, director of the expanded programme on immunisation, Sindh, told Dawn.

Officials said police did not give specific reasons for their refusal to the immunisation authorities.