The fight against polio in Pakistan took a tragic turn on Wednesday when gunmen on motorcycles opened fire on police escorting a team of polio workers during a door-to-door vaccination campaign in northwestern Pakistan. The attack, which occurred in Bajur, a district in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province known for its history as a stronghold of the Pakistani Taliban, resulted in the deaths of an officer and a polio worker.
Local police chief Abdul Aziz confirmed the incident, stating that no group immediately claimed responsibility for the attack. Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi strongly condemned the violence, highlighting the ongoing threat posed by militant groups.
This attack comes just days after Pakistan launched a nationwide polio campaign on Monday, amidst an alarming rise in militant activity targeting health workers. On the same day, a roadside bomb exploded near a vehicle carrying officers responsible for protecting health workers conducting polio immunisation in the South Waziristan district of the same province. The blast injured six officers and three civilians. The militant Islamic State group later claimed responsibility for this attack.
The targeting of polio campaigns in Pakistan is a recurring issue. Militants falsely claim that the campaigns are part of a Western conspiracy to sterilise children. These unfounded beliefs have fueled violence against vaccination teams and the police assigned to safeguard them.
The recent surge in violence comes at a time when Pakistan is facing a resurgence of polio cases. Since January, the country has reported 17 new cases, jeopardizing decades of efforts to eradicate polio. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where the spread of polio has not been stopped. This deadly disease, which primarily affects children under five, causes paralysis and can be fatal.
These attacks underscore the enormous challenges facing the global polio eradication initiative. The tragic loss of life in Bajur serves as a stark reminder of the ongoing threat posed by militancy and misinformation to public health efforts.
