Published on, Sept. 26 -- September 26, 2025 1:59 AM

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's meeting with Bill Gates in New York offers an important reminder: Pakistan remains one of the last battlegrounds against polio. The prime minister pledged eradication "once and for all." Strong words, indeed, but they will mean little unless matched by strong governance at home.

Pakistan has already reported 27 new polio cases in 2025, more than any other country. Each case represents a child whose life is permanently altered. For years, governments have congratulated themselves on progress that was never truly theirs.

The decline in cases during the pandemic was the result of lockdowns, not robust vaccination systems. Now that normal life has resumed,...