ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar this week apologized to Karate champion Shahzaib Rind for the “unjustified delay” of a monetary reward and financial support the fighter said the government had promised to provide him, sharing that the prime minister has taken “serious notice” of the incident. 

Rind made history in September last year when he won the World Karate Combat Light Heavyweight Championship, beating Brazil’s Luiz Victor Rocha in the final in Singapore. The remarkable feat made him the first person from Pakistan to win the world title. 

Following his achievement, Pakistan’s President Asif Ali Zardari presented Rind a cheque of Rs100 million [$352,600] while as per reports, former federal minister Sardar Yaar Muhammad Rind announced he would give Rind 25 acres of land. 

Rind took to social media platform X on July 23, saying that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif promised him a sum of Rs5 million [$17,630] and Rs80 million [$282,080] to support his training camp and upcoming fights. However, the Pakistani fighter said it was “all a lie, I never got a penny from them.”

“Dear Shahzeb, there seems to be some miscommunication,” Tarar wrote to Rind on X on Saturday. “We sincerely apologize for this unjustified delay, sportsmen like you are our real heroes and we value your achievements.”

The minister acknowledged that Rind had brought honor to the country and made everyone proud through his achievements. 

“The Prime Minister has taken serious notice of this inordinate delay and rest assured, it will be sorted out immediately, inshallah [god willing],” Tarar added.

He said Sharif had instructed authorities that such mistakes must never happen again.

“We regret this unjustified delay and the inconvenience caused,” he added. 

Rind responded by thanking Tarar, saying he appreciated Sharif taking notice of the incident. 

“Inshallah, with your support, we can continue to uplift and inspire the next generation of champions,” he wrote. 

Rind, who hails from the impoverished southwestern Balochistan province, won his first martial arts title in 2011 after claiming victory in a provincial-level competition. His first national title came in 2019 when he triumphed at the National Games in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.

During the two-and-a-half years of an undefeated Karate Combat career, Rind has fought fighters from North America, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil, France and India.

KARACHI: Pakistani authorities on Sunday reported three new polio cases across the country, taking the 2025 tally to 17 amid Islamabad’s efforts to eliminate the disease. 

Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that primarily affects young children and can cause permanent paralysis. There is no cure, but it can be prevented through multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and a complete routine immunization schedule, experts say.

Pakistan, one of only two countries in the world where polio remains endemic, the other being neighboring Afghanistan, has made significant gains in recent decades. Annual cases have fallen dramatically from an estimated 20,000 in the early 1990s to single digits by 2018.

However, the country has witnessed a worrying resurgence recently. Pakistan reported 74 cases in 2024, raising alarms among health officials and global partners supporting the eradication campaign. In contrast, only six cases were recorded in 2023 and just one in 2021.

“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, has confirmed three new polio cases— two from the districts of Lakki Marwat and North Waziristan in South Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one from District Umerkot in Sindh,” Pakistan’s National Emergencies Operation Center said. 

 The new cases include a 15-month-old girl from District Lakki Marwat, a six-month-old girl from North Waziristan district and a 60-month-old boy from District Umerkot, the statement said.

Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province has reported the highest number of polio cases this year, 10, followed by five from Sindh and one each from Punjab and northern Gilgit-Baltistan region. 

The NEOC noted that despite “substantial progress” in polio eradication efforts, the new polio cases underscore the persistent risk to children, especially in areas where vaccine acceptance remains low.

“It is crucial for communities to understand that poliovirus can resurface wherever immunity gaps exist,” it said. “Every unvaccinated child is at risk and can also pose a risk to others.”

The NEOC said an anti-polio vaccination campaign is currently underway, which was launched from July21-27 in Pakistan’s union councils bordering Afghanistan. 

 It added that a polio vaccination campaign using doses of the IPV (Inactivated Polio Vaccine) and OPV (Oral Polio Vaccine) was started in southwestern Balochistan’s Chaman District on July 21, adding that the same campaign will expand to six more districts in the province starting from July 28.

The NEOC urged parents to cooperate with frontline polio workers in getting children vaccinated.

“Communities can protect themselves by actively supporting vaccination efforts, addressing misinformation, and encouraging others to vaccinate their children,” it added. 

Despite decades of effort, Pakistan’s polio eradication drive has faced persistent challenges, including misinformation about vaccines and resistance from conservative religious and militant groups who view immunization campaigns with suspicion.

Some clerics have claimed the vaccines are a Western conspiracy to sterilize Muslim children or part of intelligence operations.

Vaccination teams and police providing security have also been targeted in militant attacks, particularly in remote and conflict-affected areas of KP and Balochistan. These threats have at times forced the suspension of campaigns and restricted access to vulnerable populations.