BAJAUR: At least two people, including a police constable assigned to protect a vaccination team, were killed on Tuesday after gunmen opened fire during Pakistan’s nationwide polio campaign in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district, police said.
The incident occurred in the Thangi area of Salarzai tehsil, a day after authorities launched the final countrywide polio drive of 2025, which is scheduled to continue until December 21.
Police Public Relations Officer Israr Khan said unidentified assailants targeted the security detail accompanying a polio team. Constable Sajad Ahmed sustained critical injuries and later succumbed, while a civilian passerby was shot dead when he attempted to pursue the attackers.
Local residents confirmed the incident, while the assailants fled the scene. Police said a search operation was launched soon after the attack. No polio workers were harmed.
The killing adds to a long list of attacks targeting vaccination efforts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where militants have repeatedly targeted health workers and their security escorts. Official data shows that in 2024 alone, at least 20 people were killed and 53 injured during polio campaigns in KP.
No group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi condemned the incident, offering condolences to the families of the victims. In a statement shared by his office, he described the attack as an assault on humanity and national duty, stressing that the polio drive would continue without interruption.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also denounced the attack, expressing grief over the death of the police constable and pledging to bring those responsible to justice. He reaffirmed the government’s resolve to eradicate polio from the country.
Pakistan remains one of only two countries worldwide, along with Afghanistan, where polio is still endemic. The country has recorded 30 cases so far this year, including 19 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the highest among all provinces.
Security threats, misinformation and vaccine hesitancy continue to pose serious challenges to eradication efforts. Polio is a highly infectious viral disease that can cause irreversible paralysis, with repeated oral vaccinations remaining the only effective means of protection for children under five.
