QUETTA – A police official was martyred in an attack on an anti-polio vaccination team in the Nushki district of Balochistan.
Reports said unidentified gunmen opened fire in the Killi Muhammad Hassani area of Nushki, resulting in the martyrdom of a policeman.
The martyred official was assigned to the security of the anti-polio team.
Government of Balochistan spokesperson Shahid Rind confirmed the incident, stating that a police constable named Waheed, who hailed from Jamalabad Nushki, was martyred in the attack.
He emphasised that the anti-polio campaign is a national duty and that any attack on it is intolerable.
“We pay tribute to the brave officer who laid down his life in the line of duty,” he said. “This attack is a conspiracy to sabotage the national anti-polio campaign and to spread fear and panic.”
Shahid Rind further stated that actions against the perpetrators of such attacks will be intensified and that the government is committed to strengthening the security of both polio teams and the law enforcement personnel assigned to protect them.
Meanwhile, President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif have condemned attack on polio team in Nushki.
The president paid tribute to brave polio workers for risking their lives to reach every child.
He said through continuous vaccination campaigns, effective monitoring and courage of health workers, polio cases have decreased by more than ninety percent.
The president, however, said war against polio is not yet over.
In a statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemning firing on polio eradication team in Nushki, extended his heartfelt condolences and sympathies to family of the martyr.
The premier affirmed that strict action will be taken against militant elements targeting the polio campaign.
