Unidentified assailants opened fire on Levies’ constable in Swat despite the deployment of additional police teams to the area.
A Levies constable, identified as Abdul Kabeer by APP, who was responsible for protecting a polio vaccination team, was killed on Tuesday when unidentified attackers opened fire on him in Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said.
The incident occurred a day after the government launched a nationwide polio eradication campaign, targeting more than 45 million children. A special order had been issued for the campaign, with the deployment of additional police and personnel.
Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, where polio is still endemic. Safety risks, vaccine hesitancy and misinformation continue to slow eradication efforts.
Swat district police officer Muhammad Umar Khan said the martyred constable was on duty alongside a polio team comprising two health workers.
“The workers were administering vaccines inside a house while the gendarme stood guard outside when he was attacked,” he said. “The attackers fled the scene after the incident.”
Read: National polio campaign begins today
Khan added that police and law enforcement officials arrived at the scene and began investigating.
“The area has been cordoned off and a search operation is underway to apprehend the perpetrators. No anti-state elements will be allowed to disturb the peace in Swat,” he said, adding that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the polio vaccination team in Matta area of Swat and offered condolences to the martyred security official.
“The government is committed to completely eradicating polio from the country. Despite resistance from terrorists, the anti-polio campaign continues in full swing and will continue until the disease is completely eradicated,” he said.
Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack and paid tribute to the martyred official. He expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased.
“The attackers who targeted the team working to safeguard the future of our children deserve no leniency,” he said.
Federal Minister Engineer Amir Maqam has strongly condemned the attack on a polio eradication team in Tehsil Matta, Swat. He paid tribute to the brave Levies member Abdul Kabir who was martyred in the incident.
“Those who sacrifice their lives in the discharge of their national duty are true heroes of the nation,” he said. He added that terrorist elements threaten the future of the country’s children, but stressed that under no circumstances would they be allowed to succeed.
Learn more: Two Levies members martyred in attack on polio team in Mastung
The national polio campaign was scheduled to take place across the country from October 13 to 19. More than 400,000 health workers will go door to door to ensure children are vaccinated against polio, according to the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC).
Polio vaccinators, who carry out door-to-door vaccinations for children, are often targeted by activists, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan. In 2024 alone, at least 20 people have been killed and 53 injured in anti-polio operations in KP.
Two security guards assigned to protect a polio vaccination team were shot dead in a targeted attack in April in Balochistan’s Mastung district.
Data from September showed a decrease in vaccine refusals during the latest vaccination drive in KP, although some areas, such as Lowi Mamund Tehsil, saw residents announce a boycott of the drive.
Despite significant progress in recent years, Pakistan remains one of the few countries in the world where polio continues to paralyze children, with health authorities warning that continued vigilance and public cooperation are essential to stopping transmission.
The NEOC confirmed that the total number of polio cases reported across Pakistan was 27 in 2025. According to the NEOC, Sindh has reported seven cases so far this year, highlighting the continuing challenges in eradicating this crippling virus from the province.
