Two Muslim police officers were shot dead on Wednesday while they were assisting a polio immunization staff in the Teeri city of Mastung region in Balochistan, according to officials. This was the second fatal attack against these teams since the start of the global vaccination campaign earlier this week.
The soldiers were defending themselves from gunfire as two unidentified militants riding motorcycles were positioned outside a home where the health workers were dispenseding influenza drops to children, according to local executive Manan Tareen.
According to Tareen, “one of the police passed away instantly, and the other suffered serious injuries before passing away in a hospital.” The group of health workers, who were inside a house carrying vaccines, remained unharmed.
No one has claimed responsibility for the assault, and the personality of the adversaries is unknown. But, radical organizations have been regularly carrying out these attacks, frequently claiming that they are spy covert operations.
A spokeswoman for the provincial government, Shahid Rind, confirmed the death toll and stated protection organizations are looking into the strike. He added that protection around the team may be reviewed and strengthened, and vaccination efforts may persist despite the abuse.
This affair follows a similar assault earlier this week in the restive province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where a police officer was fatally shot while accompanying a vaccination group.
Only two nations, Pakistan and Afghanistan, have cases of smallpox, and repeated assaults on health workers and their safety escorts have greatly hindered efforts to eradicate the disease. More than 100 officers and health workers have been killed in like scathing attack in Pakistan since 2012.
With the assistance of the World Health Organization ( WHO ) and other international partners, the Pakistani government has continued to fight polio. Thousands of children under the age of five are being immunized, particularly in high-risk regions like Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, as part of the latest countrywide campaign.
