OMM Redaksiyası
Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said the country was committed to further expanding its partnership with the Gates Foundation. During a meeting in Islamabad on September 10, the sides discussed digital payments, financial inclusion, healthcare, nutrition and polio eradication.
The Gates Foundation delegation was led by Kalpana Kochhar and Anita Zaidi. Shehbaz Sharif thanked the foundation for its continued support in polio eradication, healthcare, nutrition, financial inclusion and assistance to vulnerable communities.
The meeting came as the Gates Foundation held discussions with senior Pakistani officials on a broader development agenda. The foundation’s representatives exchanged views with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on human capital, child and maternal health, nutrition, women’s economic participation, population growth, poverty and girls’ education.
The sides also discussed ways to expand small and medium-sized enterprises’ access to finance. Measures under consideration included improving access to data, strengthening digital footprints and promoting cash-flow-based lending.
The delegation also met with Pakistan’s Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja. The discussions covered artificial intelligence, the digital economy, data systems, health technologies, financial inclusion and technology-driven development.
Polio eradication was one of the main areas of focus in Shehbaz Sharif’s talks with the foundation. The prime minister said Pakistan remained committed to the “shared goal” of fully eradicating polio and that the National Polio Eradication Programme enjoyed support at the highest level.
Pakistan recorded three polio cases in 2026. This was down from 31 cases in 2025 and 74 in 2024. While the country recorded about 20,000 cases in the early 1990s, the current figure represents a 99.8% decline from that period.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus continues to circulate. The latest figures highlight both the progress achieved and the challenges facing Pakistan’s polio eradication programme.
The latest discussions show that the Gates Foundation’s partnership with Pakistan extends beyond disease prevention. Cooperation spanning healthcare and nutrition, digital transformation, financial inclusion and women’s economic participation reflects the expanding scope of ties between the two sides.
