Two police constables assigned to protect polio vaccination teams were martyred Monday in separate militant attacks in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, underscoring the deadly risks facing security personnel safeguarding Pakistan’s critical public health efforts.
Constable Syed Aziz was shot dead by unidentified gunmen in the Qila Nazakai area of Salarzai while providing security for a polio team. Hours later, as authorities launched search operations following the first attack, Constable Syed Qadir Shah was killed in indiscriminate firing in the village of Tabei while returning from polio duty, according to District Police Officer Muhammad Khalid.
The martyred officers were laid to rest at Bajaur police lines in funeral prayers attended by senior district officials, political leaders from multiple parties, and representatives from local communities. Their deaths cast a shadow over the government’s week-long nationwide polio vaccination campaign targeting more than 19 million children across 79 high-risk districts.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi condemned the attacks as cowardly acts and demanded a detailed report from the provincial police chief. “Targeting officials serving a national duty is an extremely cowardly act. Terrorists will never succeed in their nefarious intentions,” Afridi stated, assuring the families of the deceased that the provincial government would provide full support.
Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also condemned the violence, attributing the attacks to forces hostile to Pakistan and humanity. He praised the bravery of the fallen officers, noting that the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa take pride in their police martyrs and heroes.
District authorities responded by increasing security across Salarzai and the wider Bajaur region, with search operations continuing to apprehend the perpetrators.
The attacks represent the latest in a persistent pattern of violence targeting Pakistan’s polio eradication efforts. Militants have frequently attacked vaccination teams and their security escorts, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan provinces. Last month, a police officer was martyred and four others injured in a similar attack in Hangu district. In February, another officer was killed protecting a polio team in Chaman.
The toll has been severe: in 2024 alone, at least 20 people were killed and 53 injured during anti-polio operations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, highlighting the dangerous environment in which health workers and their protectors operate.
Polio workers conducting door-to-door immunization drives face constant threats from militant groups opposed to vaccination campaigns. These attacks not only claim lives but also disrupt critical public health work aimed at eradicating a disease that continues to afflict Pakistan, one of only two countries worldwide where polio remains endemic.
The martyrdom of Constables Aziz and Qadir Shah serves as a stark reminder of the sacrifices made by security personnel protecting those working to safeguard Pakistan’s children from preventable disease, even as hostile elements seek to undermine national health priorities through violence and intimidation.
