Cop on polio duty killed in Mastung

DC says constable Shahzad was guarding a team of vaccinators

QUETTA:

A police constable was killed while on polio vaccination security duty in the Mastung district of Balochistan on Friday.

The cop lost his life while carrying out his duty to ensure the safety and security of a polio vaccination campaign on the outskirts of the remote district.

Deputy Commissioner Mastung, Yashri Dashti said that unidentified miscreants opened fire at Constable Shahzad Ahmed Bangulzai, killing him on the spot. He was rushed to the Nawab Ghous Bakhsh Raisani Hospital where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

The attackers managed to escape after committing the crime. The family members of the deceased blocked the main Quetta-Karachi Highway as a protest after the attack and demanded complete security for the police force.

They also demanded immediate arrest of those involved in the attack and said police was being targeted on almost daily basis without inviting attention from the quarters concerned.

Chief Minister Balochistan Abdul Quddus Bizenjo condemned the killing of a police constable in Mastung district of the province.

In a press statement issued here, the CM said that the culprits would be brought to justice. “Those who want to sabotage the peace of the province will be dealt with an iron hand,” he said. The CM expressed sympathy with the bereaved family and prayed for the departed soul.

Balochistan government spokesperson Farah Azim Shah also strongly condemned the incident of firing on a policeman posted on polio duty.

In her statement, she expressed sorrow over the martyrdom of the constable.

She said that the sacrifices of the police personnel in the service of the country were countless and the elements involved in terrorism would be brought to justice.

She said that polio-free Balochistan is the government mission and those who were trying to thwart the polio campaign did not deserve any leniency.

She expressed her condolences and sympathy to the family members of the martyred policeman.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 20^th, 2023.