PESHAWAR (AFP) – A Pakistan police officer travelling to guard polio vaccinators was shot dead yesterday, police said, on the first day of a nationwide immunisation effort after a year of rising cases.
The officer was travelling to guard polio vaccinators in the area of Jamrud town in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when he was killed, local police official Zarmat Khan told AFP.
“Two motorcycle riders opened fire on him,” he said. “The constable died instantly at the scene.”
Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan are the only countries where polio is endemic and militants have for decades targeted vaccination teams and their security escorts.
Pakistan recorded at least 73 polio infections last year compared to six in 2023.
The vaccination campaign which started yesterday is the first of the year and is due to last a week. “Despite the incident, the polio vaccination drive in the area remains ongoing,” Khan said.
