Policeman killed as militants attack polio camp in Pakistan

A wave of coordinated attacks targeting polio vaccination security teams in Pakistan has left at least one police constable dead, another injured, and three health workers abducted, even as a nationwide immunisation drive continues under heavy protection.

In Balochistan’s Nasirabad district, a police constable was killed in Dera Murad Jamali after unidentified armed men on motorcycles opened fire on a team escorting vaccinators. Officials said the team, including female health workers, had briefly stopped for lunch when attackers struck and fled. The constable, identified as Farhan Bashir, died on the spot.

In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu district, a separate attack on a security team protecting vaccinators on Samana Road left constable Muhammad Anas injured with a bullet wound to the leg. Police later arrested one suspect following the incident. Earlier in the campaign, another attack in the same region killed a constable and injured four others during an escort operation.

In another escalation, three polio workers were abducted in Bannu district , where unidentified armed men kidnapped health staff engaged in routine immunisation duties.

Despite repeated violence, authorities said the nationwide anti-polio campaign continues under tight security , with about 50,000 police personnel deployed to protect more than 35,000 vaccination teams in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone. The drive aims to immunise around 45 million children under five across Pakistan.

Pakistan remains one of only two countries where polio remains endemic as per WHO classification , alongside Afghanistan. Officials say security threats, misinformation, and vaccine hesitancy continue to hinder eradication efforts, even as campaigns proceed.

No group has claimed responsibility for the latest attacks so far.