Two security staff who were awarded to protect a polio vaccination team were shot in a targeted attack Wednesday in Balochistan’s Mastung District.
The Bak team took place in the Mastung district, where members of Levie’s Force guarded a health team that administered oral polio vaccines as part of a nationwide campaign reported Express News.
According to Levies officials, unidentified guns opened fire against the officers without warning. The deceased was transported to a local hospital and a search operation was launched in the area.
No group immediately assumed responsibility for the shooting.
Attacks on polio teams and their safety details have taken place at intervals in Pakistan, one of the few countries where the virus remains endemic.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif condemned the assault and expressed grief over the deaths and extended prayers for the victims and their families.
“Those who harm innocent people and disrupt public health efforts are the enemies of humanity,” Sharif said in a statement, promising to bring the perpetrators to justice.
He confirmed the government’s willingness to eradicate polio from Pakistan and said, “Such incidents will not weaken our determination.”
The Prime Minister urged parents to ensure that their children receive polio drops to secure their future and said the national campaign would continue with full strength.
Polio workers and their security shirts have often been attacked, especially in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.
By 2024, at least 20 people were killed and 53 injured in similar incidents during polio vaccination drives in KP.
