Quetta (Web Desk): Two Levis personnel assigned to safeguard a polio vaccination team were martyred in a targeted attack on Wednesday in the Mastung district of Balochistan.
The attack occurred during a nationwide immunization drive, as health workers were administering oral polio drops in the area.
According to Levies officials, the security officers came under sudden gunfire from unidentified assailants.
The attackers fled the scene while the law enforcers cordoned off the area and launched a search operation.
The bodies of the slain personnel were transported to a nearby medical facility for formal procedures.
No organization has yet claimed responsibility for the ambush.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the terrorist attack targeting a polio vaccination team in Mastung
In a statement, the prime minister, who is currently on a two-day visit to Turkiye, expressed grief over the martyrdom of the Levies personnel guarding the polio vaccination team.
He prayed to Allah Almighty for peace for the departed souls and strength for the bereaved families to bear the loss.
“The terrorists causing harm to the lives and properties of innocent citizens will be brought to justice. Such incidents cannot weaken the Government of Pakistan’s resolve to completely eradicate polio from the country,” he reiterated.
Urging the people to get their children vaccinated against polio without losing hope, the prime minister resolved that the anti-polio campaign would continue with full force under all circumstances.
Earlier on Monday, a police constable was martyred and a terrorist was killed during a fierce exchange of gunfire after an attack on security personnel guarding a polio vaccination team in South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
Attacks against polio teams and their escorts remain an alarming pattern in Pakistan, one of the last countries in the world where polio has not been eradicated.
Health workers and their guards often face hostility, particularly in regions like Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan, where mistrust and misinformation surrounding vaccination campaigns run deep.
The year 2024 has already witnessed significant violence against health workers, with at least 20 fatalities and over 50 injuries reported during polio outreach efforts in various parts of the country.
