Prognosis
Bin Laden Hunt and Robot Conspiracy Theories Test Pakistan Vaccine Drive
- Anti-western sentiment fuels resistance to inoculations
- Pakistan faces similar struggle in battle to eradicate polio
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Many nations are struggling to persuade reluctant citizens to get Covid-19 inoculations, but perhaps nowhere are the challenges as daunting as in Pakistan, where mistrust is fueled by anti-Muslim conspiracy theories and the legacy of the hunt for Osama bin Laden.
Mehrab Ali, a fruit merchant in Karachi, is one of many across the Islamic republic who won’t step forward after Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday launched the nation’s vaccination drive. The father of six, who also refused to vaccinate his children against polio, argued that Covid-19 is a foreign plot against Muslims.