Islamabad, December 19; 13 political parties of Pakistan, across the political spectrum, met today to declare polio as a national emergency.

Political leaders strongly condemned all forms of attacks against polio workers teams and offered their undeterred political support for polio eradication. Reading out a unanimous condemnation, the forum said that:

�Participants of the APC, convened by PILDAT, in Islamabad today, unanimously condemn the killing of polio health workers and consider this as an attack on the future of Pakistani children and youth. Such crimes against humanity are unacceptable. The Pakistani nation is united in the vision for a Polio-free Pakistan.�

13 Parties joining the APC were represented by Senator Shahi Syed, Provincial President, Sindh, Awami National Party (ANP), Dr. Jahanzeb Jamaldini, Acting President, Balochistan National Party - Mengal (BNP-M), Mr. Liaqat Baloch, Secretary General, Jamaat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP), Senator Maulana Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, Central Secretary General, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam � Fazlur Rehman (JUI-F), Maulana Asmat Ullah, Ameer, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam � Nizriati (JUI-N), Maulana Hamid Ul Haq Haqqani, Vice President, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam - Samiulhaq (JUI-S), Mr. Sufyan Yusuf, MNA, Muttahida Quami Movement (MQM), Senator Mir Hasil Khan Bezinjo, Secretary General, National Party (NP), Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed, Secretary General, Pakistan Muslim League (PML), Barrister Sultan Mahmood Khan, Senior Vice President, Pakistan Muslim League - Functional (PML-F), Senator Rafiq Rajwana, Member of Senate of Pakistan, Pakistan Muslim League - Nawaz (PML-N), Syed Yusuf Raza Gailani, Senior Vice Chairman, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Senator Muhammad Jehangir Bader, Secretary General, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) and Mrs. Meraj Humayun, Member Central Executive Committee, Qaumi Watan Party (QWP). Hafiz Tahir Ashrafi of Pakistan Ulema Council, also volunteered to sign the Joint Declaration. He joined the APC as an observer.

The All Parties Conference on Polio a National Emergency was convened by PILDAT with support from UNICEF.

Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, former Prime Minister, said that he undertook the initiative of establishing a Prime Minister�s Cell on Polio to ensure monitoring at the highest level. He thanked PILDAT for facilitating a political consensus.

Senator Mushahid Hussain Sayed said that polio threatens human security, it should be declared a threat to national security in Pakistan. He said that PILDAT should put together one paragraph that all political parties must include in their upcoming election manifestoes.

Mr. Liaquat Baloch was joined by other religious parties at the podium in stressing that religion is not obstructing polio eradication in Pakistan.

Party leaders especially asked the Government to provide security to Polio Workers Teams. Some leaders also suggested that political representatives of an area may also join Poliuo Teams across communities.

Opening the APC, Mr. Ahmed Bilal Mehboob, President PILDAT, said that given the emergency scenario in the spread of polio in Pakistan, PILDAT has convened the APC to facilitate political consensus.

Earlier, Dr. Shahnaz Wazirali, Focal Person and Dr. Altaf Bosan, National Coordinator of Prime Minister�s Polio Monitoring Cell spoke on the occasion followed by Polio partners, Ms. Karen Allan, Deputy Country Representative, UNICEF, Dr. Waqar Ajmal, Senior Programme Manager, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Dr. Guido Sabatinelli, Country Representative WHO.

Text of the Joint Declaration signed by political parties in English and Urdu is attached.