File photo of a polio vaccination team. Rizwan Tabassum—AFP
Two cops providing security for a polio vaccination team in Quetta were martyred on Tuesday after unidentified gunmen opened fire on them on the first day of an immunization drive in Balochistan.
According to police, the vaccinators—two women—were unharmed but both law enforcers tasked with their security had died on the spot. They identified the martyred officials as constable Shaukat Ali and Syed Muhammad and said the polio campaign in the area had been suspended.
Condemning the attack, Balochistan Chief Minister Abdul Quddus Bizenjo expressed grief over the martyrdom of the policemen and declared the incident a conspiracy against the healthy future of children. “Anti-national elements want to fail the polio campaign to fulfill their evil ambitions,” he said and directed police to submit a report into the incident. He also directed authorities to utilize all available resources to apprehend the culprits involved in the attack.
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari also condemned the attack in a statement, while expressing grief and sorrow over the deaths of the two policemen. Hoping the perpetrators would soon be behind bars, he said elements involved in endangering the health of children would be dealt with an iron fist.
“Authorities concerned should ensure foolproof security of polio teams, The people should fully cooperate with polio workers,” he added.
Pakistan, along with Afghanistan, remains one of just two countries where polio remains endemic. Years of polio vaccination drives have been hampered by militant attacks on vaccinators, who are also censured by conservative elements who believe immunization is a foreign ploy to sterilize Muslims. In a bid to overcome this resistance, the government has repeatedly appealed with religious scholars, parents, teachers, and non-governmental organizations to play their role in ensuring Pakistan’s fight against polio succeeds.