Cop martyred in attack targeting polio vaccinators in Noskhi

A police officer assigned to protect the health workers was martyred on Tuesday in Balochistan's Noshki district after unidentified assailants opened fire on a polio vaccination team.

The slain officer, identified as Waheed Ahmed, son of Muhammad Hashim and a resident of Jamalabad, Noshki, was part of the security detail deployed to safeguard polio workers administering oral vaccines to children under the ongoing nationwide immunisation campaign.

According to security officials, the attackers fled the scene immediately after the ambush. Law enforcement agencies launched a search operation in the area, while forensic teams gathered evidence from the site.

The attack occurred during a countrywide polio eradication drive, one of several coordinated campaigns underway across Pakistan's provinces.

According to the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), the Balochistan campaign aims to vaccinate 2.6 million children under the age of five, as part of Pakistan's broader effort to eliminate the poliovirus.

Balochistan government spokesperson Shahid Rind strongly condemned the attack, describing it as a deliberate attempt to undermine a critical public health initiative.

"Such cowardly acts are a direct attack on our mission to protect children from a crippling disease. The sacrifice of this brave police officer will not go in vain," he said.

President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack on the polio team in Noshki.

In a message, the president paid tribute to the dedication and courage of polio workers.

In a separate statement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack and extended heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the family of the martyred.