Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addresses the nation on Friday. Photo: PMO
ISLAMABAD:
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday chaired a high-level meeting on promotion of electric vehicles (EVs) and announced that government employees up to BPS-16 would be given e-bikes on easy installments.
The meeting was told that the government intends to switch 30 percent of vehicles to electric power over the next five years, a move expected to save around $4.5 billion in fuel imports.
The Prime Minister directed relevant authorities to accelerate ongoing initiatives aimed at promoting the adoption of electric vehicles across the country.
During the briefing, officials informed the Prime Minister that 72 manufacturing certificates have so far been issued for motorcycles and electric rickshaws, along with four certificates for electric cars. Additionally, 123 applications were received for the installation of electric vehicle charging stations across the country.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday reaffirmed the government’s resolve to completely eradicate polio from Pakistan, noting encouraging progress as only one case has been reported so far in 2026.
Polio eradication
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has reaffirmed the government’s resolve to completely eradicate polio from Pakistan, noting encouraging progress as only one case has been reported so far in 2026.
Chairing a high-level review meeting on polio eradication at the Prime Minister House, the Prime Minister appreciated the tireless efforts of the anti-polio teams working across the country and reiterated that elimination of the disease remains a national priority, a press release from the Prime Minister’s Office said.
The Prime Minister stressed that sustained coordination between federal and provincial authorities, frontline workers and partner organizations would remain essential to achieve the goal of a polio-free Pakistan.
During the briefing, participants were informed that only one polio case was reported this year in Sujawal district, compared to 74 cases in 2024 and 31 cases in 2025, reflecting a significant downward trend.
No cases have been reported so far in 2026 from Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan or Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
The officials further informed the meeting that the number of polio-affected districts declined from 67 in the first quarter of 2025 to 23 in the first quarter of 2026. National household coverage during anti-polio campaigns remained consistently high at 98 percent.
Participants were informed that improving access and strengthening immunization efforts in southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have significantly reduced the number of children missing polio vaccines. A substantial decline in local poliovirus transmission was also recorded in Quetta block.
In Karachi, encouraging results from environmental monitoring showed that poliovirus was not detected in 10 of 12 environmental samples collected in March. Similarly, no polio cases have been reported in Dera Ismail Khan district since September 2025, while the number of high-risk union councils in Bannu has fallen sharply from 62 to just six.
The meeting was also informed that a strategy is being finalized to integrate the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI) with the Polio Eradication Initiative (PEI) at the federal and provincial levels. Efforts are also underway to link some Benazir Income Support Program interventions to anti-polio measures to further strengthen awareness.
