In a tragic incident in Nushki district of Balochistan, two policemen assigned to protect a polio vaccination team were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire. The deceased officers have been identified as Yasir Ahmed and Abdul Rauf, officials confirmed on Tuesday.
Following the attack, the assailants also seized the weapons of the two policemen. Such hostile actions frequently target polio teams in the terrorism-affected regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, aiming to hinder the vital vaccination campaigns.
Notably, in May of this year, two police officers lost their lives in separate attacks on polio teams in Bajaur district, KP. This latest assault coincides with the ongoing nationwide anti-polio campaign, which began on September 21 and is scheduled to continue until September 27. During this period, approximately 31 million children across the country are set to receive polio vaccine drops.
In a significant development earlier this month, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to eradicating polio completely. During a meeting with a delegation from the Gates Foundation in Islamabad on September 10, he emphasized the highest-level support for the national polio eradication program. The prime minister also praised the Gates Foundation for its substantial contributions toward polio eradication, health improvement, nutrition, financial inclusion, and the welfare of vulnerable populations.
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