ISLAMABAD, Nov. 12 (Xinhua) -- A nationwide anti-polio campaign of varied duration kicked off in selected parts of Pakistan on Monday, local media reported.

More than 20 million children up to five years of age will be administered anti-polio drops during the campaign for the eradication of the crippling virus, according to the notifications issued by provincial health departments.

The provincial health departments said that more than 7.2 million children will be vaccinated in the country's eastern Punjab province, over 7 million children in southern Sindh province, 4.6 million children in northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province and as many as 1.3 million children will be administered polio drops in southwest Balochistan province.

The government, media, religious scholars and civil society have urged parents to cooperate with polio vaccination teams and get their children vaccinated to save them from lifetime disability.

Meanwhile, special arrangements have been made to ensure the security of the teams.

Chairing a meeting of the National Task Force on Polio Eradication in the capital Islamabad on Friday, Prime Minister Imran Khan reiterated the government's commitment towards a polio-free Pakistan.

"Polio incidence is a very serious issue for the country as it jeopardizes the future of our children," he said.

Pakistan is one of the only three countries together with Afghanistan and Nigeria in the world that suffers from endemic polio, a crippling and potentially deadly infectious disease.