Police official guarding polio team shot dead in Pakistan's southwest
ISLAMABAD: A police official providing security to a polio vaccination team was shot dead in Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province on Tuesday, the provincial administration said, highlighting the persistent threat to workers involved in the country's polio eradication campaign.
Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world where polio is still endemic, alongside Afghanistan. Efforts to eradicate the disease have faced numerous challenges, including parental refusals, misinformation and persistent attacks by militant groups.
In many remote and volatile regions, vaccination teams operate under police protection, though security personnel themselves have frequently been targeted.
'A police officer was martyred in Nushki while guarding a polio team,' said Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind in a statement.
'The polio campaign is a national duty, and any attack on it is intolerable,' he added. 'We pay tribute to the officer who embraced martyrdom in the line of duty.'
The slain officer, identified as Waheed Ahmed, was a resident of Jamalabad, Nushki, according to the provincial spokesperson.
Rind termed the shooting 'a conspiracy to sabotage the national campaign and spread fear.' He also vowed stricter action against the perpetrators.
'The government will further strengthen security measures for both polio teams and the personnel assigned to protect them,' he added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the incident, expressing sorrow over the death of the police official and extending condolences to his family.
'An attack on a polio team working to safeguard the future of our children is unacceptable,' he said. 'Elements opposing the polio campaign will be dealt with firmly.'
Pakistan witnessed a sharp rise in polio cases last year, with 74 children diagnosed with the crippling disease, 27 of them from Balochistan.
So far this year, 10 cases have been reported across the country, prompting authorities to ramp up door-to-door vaccination drives despite the ongoing threat from militant groups.
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