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ISLAMABAD, Apr 29 (APP):Convenor of the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights (PCCR), Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan, MNA, along with a Parliamentary Delegation comprising Zahra Wadood Fatemi, MNA, and Muhammad Ali, MNA, visited the Nutrition International (NI) Pakistan on Tuesday for an in-depth briefing on the pressing issues of malnutrition, vitamin deficiencies, and child health challenges, particularly among youth and women.
During the session, Dr. Shabina Raza, Country Director, Nutrition International, underscored that malnutrition remained a fundamental cause of many diseases and must be treated as a cross-cutting issue.
She emphasized that with women making up half the population, empowering them through nutrition initiatives can drive nationwide change. NI, operational in 154 districts across the country and active in Pakistan for nearly 25 years, has made significant strides including the provision of vitamin A supplements to over 32 million children, training lady health workers, and supplying iron and zinc to adolescent girls.
Supporting the briefing were senior NI officials: Dr. Irfan Ullah, Deputy Country Director, Dr. Irshad Danish, Regional Advocacy Advisor, Shehzad Afzal, National Program Manager, Child Survival and Development, Zameer Haider, Senior National Program Manager – LSFF, Pakistan.
They shared that 37.7 million children are reached each year with vitamin A supplements and that a technical working group meets biannually to monitor progress. Diarrhea remains a major health challenge, prompting the scale-up of zinc and oral rehydration salts (ORS), with 300,000 doses recently provided to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government.
The team also highlighted NI’s role in large-scale food fortification, especially universal salt iodization. Since 2006, NI has supported 1,400 salt processors and developed 97 testing laboratories, leading to an increase in iodized salt use from 17% in 2001 to 80% today—reaching 180 million people annually.
Dr. Nikhat Shakeel Khan, Convenor PCCR, commended the efforts of Nutrition International in addressing child nutrition and recognized its vital contribution toward ensuring the health and rights of children in Pakistan. She also announced that PCCR will be conducting a Summer Internship Program for children aged 12–18 years, a one-month initiative designed to engage youth in learning about child rights, health, and civic awareness. She invited Nutrition International to support the program through awareness sessions and expert engagement.
Ms. Zahra Wadood Fatemi, MNA, emphasized the need to recognize nutrition and food security as constitutional rights. Muhammad Ali, MNA, noted the significance of this collaborative engagement, stating that Parliament views the health and well-being of the nation’s children as a core priority. Officials from the National Assembly Secretariat also accompanied the delegation, including: Syed Haziq Bukhari, Iffat Pervaz, and Syed Arsalan Kazmi
The Parliamentary Delegation reaffirmed its dedication to addressing child labor, child abuse, malnutrition, and strengthening partnerships that advance the child rights agenda in Pakistan. They lauded Nutrition International for its longstanding leadership in this vital domain.