Peshawar: At least 15 policemen guarding polio vaccinators were killed by militants and 36 others injured in similar attacks during anti-polio drives in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province this year till May, according to official data.
Militants frequently target polio vaccinators in Pakistan terming them un-Islamic and against Sharia.
According to a report of the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police, 15 policemen were killed in as many attacks on polio vaccinators during anti-polio drives across the province in northwest Pakistan during the last five months of the current year 2024.
As many as 36 police officials guarding polio teams have been injured in similar attacks, it said.
Bajaur tribal district topped the list with 7 casualties, followed by Bannu with 2, and one each in Tank, South Waziristan, Khyber, Lakki Marwat, Mardan and North Waziristan districts.
Militant outfits run campaigns in their areas against anti-polio vaccination drives, threatening the local populace to keep their children below the age of 5 away from polio vaccination. Even educated people in some districts refuse to administer oral polio drops to their children.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries in the world where polio remains endemic, according to the World Health Organisation.
Published 10 June 2024, 15:23 IST