Polio continues to persist in Pakistan after decades of effort.

Why? I firmly believe we can eliminate polio—if only we stop selling our national pride short for a paltry $150 million. Frankly, the existence of Polio in Pakistan says far more about our priorities than about our capacity.

After decades of vaccination campaigns, billions spent globally and near-universal eradication elsewhere, Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world—alongside Afghanistan—where polio has never been eliminated. For a country that sees itself as a regional power, this is not just a public-health failure; it is a national embarrassment.

Over the past year, Pakistan has regained some international standing. It has demonstrated military competence and restored a degree of credibility in the world. FM Asim Munir and the defence forces deserve credit for this shift. But such respect is inherently temporary. In the modern world, lasting prestige does not come from military strength alone. It comes from economic performance and social outcomes—education, literacy, women’s empowerment, healthcare, nutrition and basic public health indicators. By those measures, polio stands out as the most glaring and unnecessary stain on Pakistan’s image.

This article focuses only on polio, not because it is our biggest challenge, but because it should be the easiest to solve. Unlike education reform or poverty reduction, polio eradication is technically simple. The vaccine works. The disease is preventable. What remains is political will.

Pakistan today occupies a unique and unenviable position. Of nearly 200 countries, only two have failed to........

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