Fundamental prerequisite: Foolproof security for polio workers demanded

Killing of Bajaur polio supervisor condemned

ISLAMABAD: Condemning the killing of a local supervisor of polio vaccinators in Bajaur Agency, the National Child Health Consortium (NCHC) on Monday demanded foolproof security for everyone associated with the anti-polio programme.

Mir Wali Khan was standing outside his private clinic in the Haji Lawang Kalay area of the Khar tehsil on Sunday evening when gunmen riding motorcycles shot him dead.

He was a medical technician who had worked at the Agency Headquarters Hospital Khar. He had recently served as the supervisor for a polio immunisation team in the area.



In a statement issued by the NCHC secretariat, the group’s members urged the government to investigate the murder and bring the culprits to book for keeping the morale of the polio workers high.

According to the official data, since December 2012 more than 80 polio workers have been gunned down and over 50 others injured in different incidents across the country.

More than 20 workers have fallen victim to such attacks in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas alone in the same period.

After Sunday’s attack, Khar’s political administration launched a search operation in the area that was led by Assistant Political Agent Muhammad Ali. Officials said they had detained at least five suspects under the collective responsibility clause of the Frontier Crimes Regulation.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 20^th, 2015.