A Levies constable deployed for security of an anti-polio team was killed when unidentified assailants opened fire on him in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat district on Tuesday, according to police.
The attack comes a day after the government launched a national polio eradication campaign, aiming to vaccinate more than 45 million children. A special order was issued for the campaign, with the deployment of 285 police officers throughout the country to provide security for the vaccination teams.
According to Swat District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Umar Khan, the martyred Levies constable was performing his duty along with an anti-polio team comprising two female health workers.
“The workers were administering vaccines inside a home while the officer stood guard outside when he was attacked,” he said. “The attackers fled the scene after the incident.”
Khan added that police and law enforcement officials reached the area and launched an investigation.
“The area has been cordoned off and a search operation is underway to arrest the culprits. Anti-state elements will not be allowed to sabotage peace in Swat,” he said, adding that those involved in the attack will be brought to justice.
Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the incident and paid tribute to the official martyred in the shooting. In a statement he expressed his deepest condolences and condolences to the family of the deceased.
“The attackers who shot at the team that was ensuring the future of the children do not deserve any concessions,” he said in the statement.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also condemned the “tragic attack”.
“Those who attack polio workers attack the very future of our nation. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family,” he said in X.
“These cowardly acts will never deter our determination to protect our children from polio and ensure a healthier and stronger Pakistan,” he added.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also expressed regret over the attack. APPLICATION reported.
“The government is committed to the complete eradication of polio from the country. Despite resistance from terrorists, the anti-polio campaign continues with full momentum and will continue until the disease is completely eradicated,” the prime minister resolved, according to APPLICATION.
Polio vaccinators, who go door-to-door to vaccinate children, are frequently targeted by militants, especially in KP and Balochistan. In 2024 alone, 20 people died and 53 were injured during anti-polio campaigns in KP.
Data from September shows that the number of vaccine refusals in KP decreased during the last immunization campaign. However, in some areas, such as Lowi Mamund tehsil, residents announced a boycott of the campaign.
In May, a policeman guarding a polio vaccination team was killed in a gun attack by unidentified assailants in Balochistan’s Noshki district, while another was killed in KP’s Bajaur district in February.
Meanwhile, two more cases of polio were reported in KP in August, bringing the national tally to 23 this year.
No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, but the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had previously claimed similar attacks on anti-polio teams, falsely portraying inoculation campaigns as a Western conspiracy to sterilize children.
Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Challenges such as safety concerns, vaccine hesitancy and misinformation have slowed progress in eradication efforts.
