A Levies constable, identified as Abdul Kabeer by state-run APP, who was assigned to protect a polio vaccination team was killed on Tuesday when unidentified attackers opened fire on him in Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said.
The incident occurred a day after the government 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.
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.
Swat District Police Officer Muhammad Umar Khan said the martyred constable was on duty alongside a polio team of two female health workers.
“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.”
Read: Nationwide polio drive begins today
Khan added that police and law enforcement officials reached the scene and launched an investigation.
“The area has been cordoned off and a search operation is under way to apprehend the perpetrators. No anti-state elements will be allowed to disrupt peace in Swat,” he said, adding that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the polio vaccination team in Swat’s Matta area and offered condolences for the martyred security official.
“The government is committed to the complete eradication of polio from the country. Despite such resistance from terrorists, the anti-polio campaign continues with full momentum and will go on until the disease is completely eradicated,” he said.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack and paid tribute to the martyred official. He expressed his condolences for the family of the deceased.
“The assailants who targeted the team working to safeguard the future of our children do not deserve any leniency,” he said.
Federal Minister Engineer Amir Maqam strongly condemned the attack on a polio eradication team in Tehsil Matta, Swat. He paid tribute to the brave Levies personnel, Abdul Kabir, who was martyred in the incident.
“Those who lay down their lives in the line of national duty are true heroes of the nation,” he said. He added that terrorist elements are threatening the future of the nation’s children but stressed that they would not be allowed to succeed under any circumstances.
Read more: Two Levies personnel martyred in attack on polio team in Mastung
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).
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.
Two security personnel assigned to protect a polio vaccination team were shot dead in a targeted attack in April in Balochistan’s Mastung district.
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.
Despite significant progress in recent years, Pakistan remains one of the few countries in the world where polio is still crippling children, with health authorities warning that continued vigilance and public cooperation are essential to stopping transmission.
NEOC confirmed the total number of polio cases reported across Pakistan as 27 in 2025. According to the NEOC, Sindh has reported seven cases so far this year, highlighting ongoing challenges in eradicating the crippling virus from the province.
