Two police officers protecting a polio vaccination team in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Orakzai district were fatally shot by militants on Tuesday. The attack also led to the deaths of two militants, while the vaccination team remained unharmed, according to police reports.
The assault occurred amidst Pakistan’s ongoing week-long polio vaccination campaign, which aims to immunize over 45 million children under the age of five. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries where polio is still endemic, and vaccination teams frequently face violent threats in the region.
Orakzai’s senior police officer Malik Sikandar stated, “Two militants attacked policemen guarding a polio vaccination team. One policeman died on the spot, while the second succumbed to injuries on the way to the hospital.” The police pursued and neutralized the two attackers and a local accomplice.
President Asif Ali Zardari condemned the attack, expressing deep sorrow over the martyrdom of the officers, while Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi described the attack as an assault on Pakistan’s future. “The terrorists’ attack on the polio team is an attack on the safe future of Pakistan,” Naqvi said.
The rise in attacks against polio vaccination teams has been alarming. This year alone, Pakistan has reported 41 polio cases, compared to six last year. Over the years, 126 individuals, including healthcare workers and security officials, have been killed in attacks related to polio campaigns.
