PESHAWAR: A police officer guarding a polio vaccination team was shot dead by armed attackers in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Wednesday, police confirmed.
Pakistan and Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio is still endemic, with militants targeting vaccination teams and their security escorts for decades.
Polio cases have resurged in Pakistan, with two cases reported so far this year and at least 74 cases recorded last year— a significant rise compared to six cases in 2023.
“Two motorcycle riders opened fire, killing the police officer on the spot, but the polio team remained unharmed,” said Niaz Muhammad, a police officer in Bajaur district.
Bajaur district shares a 52-kilometer border with Afghanistan.
According to senior police official Waqas Rafiq, the start of the polio campaign in the district had been delayed due to security concerns following a surge in militant attacks in the area.
“Despite the attack, the campaign continues in all areas of the district except the site of the incident,” he added.
Polio primarily affects children under five, sometimes causing lifelong paralysis, but it can be easily prevented with a few drops of the oral vaccine.
Over the past decade, hundreds of police officers and health workers have lost their lives to militant attacks targeting the Pakistani state.
Since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in 2021, Pakistan has seen a sharp rise in attacks, particularly in KP and Balochistan. Islamabad claims that hostile groups are planning their attacks from Afghan soil.
