Quetta:
A police officer who was allocated to protect health workers was martyrated on Tuesday in Balochistan’s Noshki district after unidentified attacks opened fire against a polio vaccination team.
The slain officer identified as Waheed Ahmed, son of Muhammad Hashim and resident of Jamalabad, Noshki, was part of the security detail that was deployed to protect polio workers administering oral vaccines for children during the ongoing nationwide immunization campaign.
According to security officials, attackers fled the stage immediately after the bak team. Law enforcement authorities launched a search operation in the area while forensic teams collected evidence from the site.
The attack took place during a nationwide polio expulsion drive, one of several coordinated campaigns in progress over Pakistan’s provinces.
According to the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), the Balochistan campaign aims to vaccinate 2.6 million children under five as part of Pakistan’s wider effort to eliminate poliovirus. Balochistan government spokesman Shahid Rind condemned severely attacked and described it as a deliberate attempt to undermine a critical public health initiative.
“Such Feige Actions are a direct attack on our mission to protect children from a crippling illness. The victim of this brave police officer will not go in vain,” he said.
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack on the Noshki polio team.
In a message, the president paid tribute to the dedication and courage from polio workers.
In a separate statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack and expanded inner compassions and sympathy with the martyred family.
