Pakistan: Two Policemen On Polio Duty Killed Since Sunday, 3 Attacks In Two Days

While a case has been registered against unidentified attackers, the police arrested at least five suspects after a search operation following the incident. 

Policemen escort health workers during a polio vaccination door-to-door campaign in a slum area in Islamabad on January 13, 2021. | AFP

A policeman posted on polio duty in the Atal Sharif area of Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province was killed by unidentified attackers Monday, Pakistan media reported. This is the third such attack this week, which left one policeman killed and one injured. 

According to a report in news daily Dawn, 30-year-old detective foot cons­table Dilawar Khan of Hathala, posted at the Kulachi police station, was shot dead during polio duty Monday.

Quoting the local police, the Dawn report said the attackers managed to escape after the crime.

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While a case has been registered against unidentified attackers under various provisions, including terrorism, the police arrested at least five suspects after a search operation following the incident, the report said, adding that the five are being interrogated. 

Not The First Time 

On Sunday, a policeman returning from polio duty was killed in an attack on the outskirts of Peshawar, while another policeman was injured in South Wa­­ziristan tribal district when a police mobile guarding polio vaccinators hit a landmine, according to the Dawn report.

In January, the day after Pakistan launched the first polio vaccination drive for 2021, a policeman was shot dead by unidentified motorcyclists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Karak area, a report in TheNews said.

Pakistan and Afghanistan are said to be the only two polio-endemic countries in the world, according to reports.

Militants in Pakistan often target polio vaccination teams claiming these drives are a “Western conspiracy to sterilize children”.