Gunmen attack polio team in Bajaur, policeman and passerby killed

BAJAUR: At least two people, including a police personnel, were killed on Tuesday after unidentified gunmen opened fire on a polio vaccination team in Bajaur district.

According to District Police Officer Waqas Rafiq, the attack took place in the Tangi area of Salarzai tehsil, where assailants targeted the polio team during duty. A police official assigned to protect the team and a passerby were critically injured in the firing and later succumbed to their wounds while being shifted to hospital.

Following the incident, a heavy contingent of police was deployed to the area and raids were launched at multiple locations to apprehend the attackers. Police officials said efforts were under way to arrest the culprits at the earliest.

Pakistan is one of only two countries, along with Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Over the past decade, hundreds of security personnel and health workers have been killed in attacks linked to polio eradication efforts.

The attack comes just days after the launch of the final nationwide polio campaign of 2025, which aims to immunise more than 45 million children across the country. So far this year, Pakistan has reported 30 polio cases, with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa accounting for the highest number at 19, according to Federal Minister for Health Syed Mustafa Kamal.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack, expressing deep grief over the martyrdom of the police official and the death of a civilian. He offered prayers for the deceased and directed authorities to swiftly identify and bring the perpetrators to justice, calling attacks on polio workers and their security personnel highly condemnable. He reiterated that the anti-polio campaign would continue until the disease was completely eradicated.

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Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also denounced the attack, paying tribute to martyred constable Sajjad Ahmed and describing him as a national hero who attained martyrdom while performing his duty. He said such sacrifices would not go in vain.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Suhail Afridi likewise condemned the incident, calling it an attack on humanity and a national duty. He expressed condolences to the families of the martyred police official and the deceased civilian, stressing that the polio campaign was vital for protecting innocent children and would not be allowed to suffer.