In a tragic incident in Nushki district, Balochistan, two policemen assigned to safeguard an anti-polio vaccination team were killed when unidentified gunmen opened fire in the Killi Jamalabad area on Tuesday. The deceased officers have been identified as Muhammad Yasir and Abdul Rauf.
The policemen were deployed specifically to protect the vaccination team during Pakistan’s ongoing nationwide anti-polio campaign, which runs from September 21 to 27. Following the attack, the assailants fled the scene, taking the officers’ official weapons with them.
Authorities quickly sealed off the area and launched a search operation to apprehend the attackers. An investigation into the incident is currently underway to determine the circumstances and identify those responsible.
Notably, security personnel are routinely assigned to accompany polio teams in regions where vaccination workers face threats, including Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. This attack marks a continuation of the risks faced by frontline health workers and their protectors in these areas.
Balochistan Interior Minister Mir Ziaullah Langau condemned the attack and requested detailed reports from the inspector general of police and the additional home secretary. He extended his condolences to the families of the fallen officers and emphasized that terrorism would not undermine the state’s commitment to maintaining law and order.
Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also denounced the attack and expressed sympathy for the bereaved families. Balochistan Home Department adviser Babar Yousafzai highlighted that safeguarding polio teams is a collective responsibility of both the government and society. He assured that law enforcement agencies are actively working to bring the perpetrators to justice.
Balochistan Health Minister Bakht Muhammad Kakar voiced grief over the loss of the policemen protecting the vaccination team. He stressed that polio teams are frontline workers and that such cowardly attacks will not deter ongoing efforts. Kakar further noted that Balochistan has not reported a polio case in the past 22 months and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to ensuring a safe and healthy future for children.
Previous attacks on polio vaccination teams and their security personnel have been reported in both Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In May, a police officer guarding a polio team was also killed in Nushki. Currently, official data indicates four wild poliovirus cases in Pakistan in 2026, underscoring the continued importance of vaccination campaigns.
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