By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A policeman assigned to protect a polio vaccination team was gunned down on Tuesday by unidentified attackers in the volatile Balochistan province, officials said, the latest in a string of assaults targeting a national campaign to eradicate the disease in one of the last two countries where it remains endemic.
The shooting took place in Noshki’s Killi Muhammad Hassni district, where policeman Waheed Ahmed, a resident of Jalalabad, Noshki, was killed while on duty. Noshki Deputy Commissioner Amjad Hussain Soomro confirmed the “unfortunate incident” and said police have established checkpoints across the area to hunt for the assailants. “
The attackers will be arrested soon,” Soomro said, adding that security for health workers involved in the anti-polio effort has been strengthened in response.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only nations where polio has not been wiped out, a stubborn challenge compounded by frequent attacks on vaccination teams by militants and some extremist religious groups. Despite the violence, Soomro insisted the campaign in Noshki would press forward. “The anti-polio campaign is continuing even after the terrorist incident, and the targets given to the anti-polio teams in Noshki district for this national cause will be completed soon.”
Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind called the killing “a conspiracy to sabotage the national campaign and spread fear and panic.” In a statement, Rind paid tribute to Ahmed, who “sacrificed himself while on duty”. “The polio campaign is a national duty, and any attack on it is intolerable,” Rind said.
President Asif Ali Zardari denounced the attack, offering condolences to Ahmed’s family and praising the resolve of those battling the disease. “The courage and sacrifice of polio officials [inspires] us all to save our children from this crippling disease,” Zardari said in a statement. “We have the tools, the will, and the support of our global partners to make this vision a reality.”
Zardari urged a collective effort to bolster the campaign, calling on “parents to open their doors to vaccinators, ensuring every child receives the life-saving polio drops.” He also appealed to “teachers, religious leaders, and community elders to champion this noble cause, dispelling myths and building trust,” and asked the media to “amplify the truth: the polio vaccine is safe, effective, and our best weapon.” “Today, I also pay tribute to our brave polio workers, who risk their lives to reach every child, often in the face of grave danger.”
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the incident and promised “strict action” against militants targeting the campaign, according to state-run Radio Pakistan.
The violence in Noshki follows another alarming incident on Monday, when two polio workers were abducted by armed assailants in Tank district’s Dolat Koruna area during the same vaccination drive, which began Sunday. That campaign, the third of the year, was launched at the National Emergency Operations Centre in Islamabad.
Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts have long faced resistance, particularly in regions like Balochistan, where militants spread falsehoods about the vaccine, claiming it is a Western conspiracy or contains harmful substances. Such misinformation, coupled with direct attacks, has slowed progress, leaving health workers and their protectors vulnerable.
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