HASSAN: Pakistan’s particular second wave challenge

The mistrust felt for other vaccines such as the Moderna vaccine, the Pfizer-BioNTtech, or AstraZeneca vaccines, is rooted in religious sensibilities. A general mistrust of the West propels these suspicions.

Pakistan is a country with blistering religious sensibilities. Only recently, a Hindu temple was burnt at the behest of local clerics. ISIS also has a strong presence in parts of Pakistan. The terrorist group captured and murdered 11 coal miners in South Western Pakistan. The murdered belonged to the minority Hazara Shia community.

This is not to suggest that ordinary Pakistanis would even think of committing such acts. Nonetheless, religious fervour reigns supreme among the masses resulting in an aversion to Western products. The “infidel” vaccine is therefore viewed with utmost suspicion as perhaps a conspiracy to annihilate Muslim nations.

The authors of the research paper “Threat of Covid 19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Pakistan: The Need for Measures to Neutralize misleading Narratives” attest to this view as follows: “Recently, two well-known political figures raised conspiracy theories against COVID-19 vaccines in Pakistan, stating that COVID-19 is a grand illusion and a conspiracy against Muslim countries. This theory is much discussed in the local community, supporting COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy.”