This marks second killing of police officers on polio duty across K-P in as many days
A police constable, identified as 35-year-old Maqsood, a resident of Kheshgi, who was part of the security detail of a polio vaccination team, was killed on Wednesday when unidentified assailants opened fire in the Kaahi area of Nizampur, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, said police.
According to the police spokesperson, the attack occurred while female polio workers were administering drops to children inside a house. The attackers managed to flee after the incident. A search operation to apprehend them is underway.
This marks the second such incident in three days since the launch of the new national polio campaign. State-run APP reported that a Levies constable, identified as Abdul Kabeer, who had been assigned to protect a polio vaccination team, was fatally shot by unidentified gunmen in Swat district on Tuesday.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has condemned the attack and paid tribute to the martyred police constable. “Police constable Maqsood attained the great honour of martyrdom while performing his duty,” said Naqvi. “An attack on a team working for the safe future of our children is intolerable.”
Read: Constable guarding polio vaccination team martyred in K-P
“The workers were administering vaccines inside a house while the constable stood guard outside when he was attacked,” he said. “The assailants fled the scene after the incident.”
The government has launched a nationwide polio eradication campaign, targeting over 45 million children. A special order had been issued for the campaign, with additional police officers and personnel deployed.The national polio campaign was scheduled to run across the country from October 13 to 19. More than 400,000 health workers will go door-to-door to ensure children are vaccinated against polio, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC).
Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio is still endemic. Security risks, vaccine hesitancy and misinformation continue to slow eradication efforts.
Read more: Nationwide polio drive begins today
More than 25.4 million children across the country have received polio drops in the most recent campaign. In Punjab, 14.3 million children were vaccinated against polio, while in Sindh, 5.019 million children received the vaccine. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 3.774 million children were administered polio drops, and in Balochistan, 1.45 million children received the vaccine. In Islamabad, 203,000 children were vaccinated, while Gilgit-Baltistan reported 187,000 children and Azad Jammu and Kashmir 481,000 children receiving the drops.
Polio vaccinators, who carry out door-to-door inoculations for children, are often targeted by militants, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan. In 2024 alone, at least 20 people were killed and 53 injured during anti-polio operations in KP.
September data showed a decrease in vaccine refusals during the latest immunisation drive in K-P, although some areas, such as Lowi Mamund Tehsil, saw residents announce a boycott of the campaign.
