CM Afridi and Governor Kundi condemn the attack, calling it a cowardly act, pledging their full support and best medical care
DERA ISMAIL KHAN:
A police officer was killed and four others injured on Monday when gunmen opened fire on staff deployed to protect polio vaccination teams in Hangu, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, police confirmed The Express PK Press Club.
According to police spokesperson Saqib Bangash, the attack took place near Chapri Waziran in the jurisdiction of Thall police station. The martyred officer was identified as Israrul Haq, a resident of Shangla, who was undergoing an intermediate police training course (PTC).
Kohat Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Irfan Tariq said police responded quickly and initiated a retaliatory operation against the attackers, saying two attackers were killed. But other attackers managed to escape.
A search operation is underway in the area and action will be taken against those involved, the DIG added. He praised the personnel for their courage in repelling the attack, promising that the militants would not be spared under any circumstances.
The injured were transferred to a hospital in Hangu, where they are being treated.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi strongly condemned the attack and sought a report from the DIG. In a statement, he called the targeting of personnel performing national functions a “cowardly act”, adding that terrorists would fail to achieve their malicious designs.
“We share the grief of the family of the martyred officer and will provide all possible support,” he said, ordering authorities to provide the best possible medical care to the injured.
Read: First Lady Aseefa calls for cooperation ahead of national polio campaign
KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi also condemned the attack, reiterating his stance against militancy. He said: “Those who target police personnel deployed to provide security to polio teams deserve no leniency. Terrorists who attack polio teams are the enemies of the secure future of our children.”
The incident comes as a week-long anti-polio campaign began across the country on Monday, aiming to vaccinate more than 45 million children under the age of five. Polio workers, who carry out door-to-door vaccination campaigns, have often been targeted by militants, particularly in KP and Balochistan.
In 2024 alone, at least 20 people have been killed and 53 injured in anti-polio operations in the province.
The National Emergency Operations Center for Polio Eradication on March 5 confirmed Pakistan’s first case of wild poliovirus in 2026, detected in a four-year-old child in Sujawal district of Sindh.
Despite significant progress, Pakistan remains one of the few countries where polio continues to pose a threat, with health authorities stressing that sustained vigilance and public cooperation are essential to stopping transmission.
Earlier this year, reports indicated that around a million children were missed during the country’s first polio campaign.
Karachi recorded the highest number of refusals, accounting for 58 percent of the 53,000 cases reported nationwide. The campaign ended on February 5 in most parts of the country, and continued until February 8 in Sindh.
