Policeman guarding polio workers shot dead in Karachi
Vaccination drive remains unaffected by the shooting
A file photo of Karachi policeman on guard as a polio worker administers vaccination. PHOTO: ONLINE
KARACHI:
Gunmen on Monday killed a policeman guarding a polio vaccination team in Karachi, police officials said, the latest blow to efforts to stamp out the crippling virus in Pakistan.
The attackers on a motorbike shot the policeman in Papoosh Nagar and then fled, senior police official Chaudhry Asad told AFP.
The vaccination drive remained unaffected by the shooting, he added. Another police official confirmed the attack and casualty.
Pakistan is one of only three countries where polio remains endemic. Attempts to eradicate it have been badly hit by opposition from militants and attacks on immunisation teams that have claimed 68 lives since December 2012.
Gunmen on Monday killed a policeman guarding a polio vaccination team in Karachi, police officials said, the latest blow to efforts to stamp out the crippling virus in Pakistan.
The attackers on a motorbike shot the policeman in Papoosh Nagar and then fled, senior police official Chaudhry Asad told AFP.
The vaccination drive remained unaffected by the shooting, he added. Another police official confirmed the attack and casualty.
Pakistan is one of only three countries where polio remains endemic. Attempts to eradicate it have been badly hit by opposition from militants and attacks on immunisation teams that have claimed 68 lives since December 2012.