Levies officer martyred in attack on polio team in Swat

In a tragic escalation of violence against health workers, a levies official assigned to protect an anti-polio team was shot and martyred in the Matta area of Swat on Tuesday.

According to the 24NewsHD TV channel, the martyred officer, identified as Abdul Kabir, was fatally wounded when unidentified assailants opened fire on the polio vaccination team.

Federal Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi strongly condemned the attack and paid tribute to the fallen officer. Expressing heartfelt condolences to Abdul Kabir’s family, Mohsin Naqvi described the killing as an attack not only on an individual but also on the future of Pakistan’s children.

“Officer Abdul Kabir attained martyrdom in the line of duty. Those who target teams working to secure our children’s future deserve no leniency,” the interior minister said in a statement.

The fatal shooting comes amid Pakistan’s ongoing nationwide anti-polio campaign, which is currently in its second day. According to the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), over 12.7 million children across the country were administered polio drops on the campaign’s first day alone.

Provincial breakdowns provided by the EOC show that 7.325 million children were vaccinated in Punjab, 2.567 million in Sindh, 1.768 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 667,000 in Balochistan, 108,000 in Islamabad, 93,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 246,000 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

This latest incident in Swat follows a similarly grim attack just five days earlier. On October 9, a polio vaccination worker named Rehmanullah was gunned down in Karachi’s Ahsanabad area.

According to his cousin, Rehmanullah was en route to duty when he was ambushed by unknown gunmen. His personal belongings, including his phone, wallet, and motorcycle, were found untouched at the scene, suggesting that the motive behind the attack was not robbery but a targeted act of violence.

Reporters: Umar Khitab and Rozina Ali