ISLAMABAD: While polio has become one of the most serious challenges facing Pakistan today and requiring urgent attention of authorities, not a single minister from any of the four provinces was present at a meeting held on Thursday to discuss the issue.

The meeting held at the Prime Minister`s Office was titled `Low Season Plan for Polio Supplementary Immunisation Activities`.

Gilgit-Baltistan minister for health and adviser to Punjab chief minister were the only provincial officials present at the meeting.

A Ministry of National Health Services (NHS) of ficial, requesting anonymity, said nothing substantial came out of the meeting so an official statement, could not be issued.

`Although all the provincial health ministers except health minister Punjab (as Punjab chief minister is holding the ministry) were requested to participate in the meet-ing, they did not bother to come.

Khawaja Salman Rafique did attend but the state minister for NHS was not invited to the meeting,` he said.

`Although the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB) had instructed Pakistan to establish a polio emergency operation cell (EOC) before July 1, 2014, the meeting could not even finalise the date for setting up of the cell,` he said.`The focal person of the PM`s Polio Cell Ayesha Raza Farooq briefed bureaucrats about polio and said prompt action should be taken to eradicate the virus. They were also told that low transmission season has started, making this the best time to eradicate the virus,` he explained.

He relayed that work was being done in North Waziristan, South Waziristan, Tank, Lakki Marwat and Bannu on an emergency basis.

Prime Minister`s Polio Cell technical head Dr Altaf Bosan, while talking to Dawn, said in the meeting it was decided that five polio campaigns on the national level and nine polio campaigns in high risk areas would be held during the nextnine months.

`Moreover it was discussed that in the areas where there are security risks, polio eradication campaigncan be extended for more days. It was also decided that the polio virus will be restricted in the current low transmission season,` he said.