The commencement of the polio campaign in the Khyber district, scheduled to begin today, has faced a setback as a result of a postponement due to the local police’s refusal to carry out their duties.
The underlying cause for this refusal stems from the recent transfer of the Khyber police contingent to Peshawar.
In response, the Khyber deputy commissioner issued an official notification mandating the suspension of the polio campaign until the conclusion of the police boycott.
This incident follows closely on the heels of a tragic event where two police officers lost their lives during an attack on a police vaccination team in Quetta.
The unfortunate incident occurred in the Nawan Kalli area of the Balochistan capital, where the two officers, identified as Shaukat Ali and Syed Mehdi, were accompanying the polio vaccinators when they were targeted by gunfire.
Although the polio team remained unharmed in the face of the attack, a substantial deployment of police and Frontier Corps (FC) personnel promptly arrived at the scene, establishing a secure cordon around the area.
To safeguard the polio workers against escalating threats, a security protocol includes stationing two to three police officers with each polio team. This recent attack underscores the persisting challenges and dangers faced by polio workers.
The incident transpired amidst an ongoing campaign aimed at administering polio vaccinations to an estimated 2.6 million children below the age of five across Balochistan. In preparation for this initiative, an extensive network of 11,539 health worker teams was assembled for the week-long effort.
Earlier this year, Pakistan encountered its first polio case in 2023, raising concerns over the continued existence of the virus. Districts situated in southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, particularly those that border Afghanistan, remain focal points of virus transmission and are identified as high-risk regions.
