PESHAWAR: Two policemen guarding polio vaccination teams were killed and another wounded in a gun attack in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, while four health workers were abducted in a separate incident, officials said on Tuesday.
The attacks came as Pakistan on Tuesday launched a nationwide polio vaccination campaign targeting nearly 24 million children under five across 97 districts from November 2 to 8.
In Mohmand district, Indian-backed terrorists opened fire on police personnel deployed to protect a vaccination team, killing two officers and injuring another, officails said.
“The firing incident targeting police personnel deployed to protect a polio team is intolerable,” Pakistan interior minister Mohsin Naqvi said in a statement.
He paid tribute to the slain officers and called for those responsible to be brought to justice.
Four Workers Abducted
In a separate incident in Tank district, Indian-backed terrorists abducted four polio workers.
Provincial Governor Faisal Karim Kundi took notice of reports about the abduction of four polio workers in the province’s Tank district and directed relevant authorities to take “immediate and effective measures” for their safe recovery.
“The abduction of polio workers is an extremely regrettable and condemnable incident,” Kundi said.
Kundi called for stronger measures to protect health workers and security personnel during the campaign.
Eighth Polio Case
The latest attacks came two days after Pakistan confirmed its eighth polio case of 2026, involving a 13-month-old girl in Khyber district, according to the National Emergency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication.
Six of the eight cases recorded this year have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, while the remaining two were detected in Sindh.
Although infections have fallen sharply compared with previous years, the virus continues to circulate in high-risk areas, threatening children who miss vaccination.
Pakistan reported 31 polio cases in 2025, down from 74 in 2024, according to government figures.
Millions Vaccinated
More than 6.68 million children received polio drops on the first day of the latest campaign on Monday, the National Emergency Operations Centre said.
The drive involves more than 200,000 health workers going door to door to reach children across the country. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone, more than 1.37 million children were vaccinated on the opening day.
Polio is a highly infectious disease that can cause irreversible paralysis, particularly in children under five. There is no cure, but vaccination can prevent infection.
Pakistan’s polio eradication programme has urged parents to ensure their children receive vaccine drops during every campaign, warning that continued transmission puts unvaccinated children at risk.
