QUETTA: Two policemen assigned to protect a polio vaccination team were killed in a shooting in Nushki district of Balochistan, the provincial adviser for home affairs, Babar Yousafzai, said on Tuesday.
Yousafzai said militants affiliated with Fitna al-Hindustan opened fire on the policemen providing security to the vaccination team.
He condemned the attack, saying targeting a polio team amounted to an attack on the future of Balochistan’s children.
“Fitna al-Hindustan is an enemy of peace in Balochistan and the future of its children,” Yousafzai said, adding that militant groups did not want peace, development and efforts to eradicate disease to take root in the province.
Meanwhile, Yousafzai highlighted the importance of polio vaccination, saying the disease can cause permanent paralysis in children and that vaccination remains an effective way to prevent it.
He said those who target polio teams were seeking to deprive children of their right to health and a safe future.
“Polio workers are going door to door to protect our children from disease,” Yousafzai said, adding that protecting vaccination teams was a shared responsibility of the state and society.
He further said children in Balochistan needed education, healthcare, peace and a secure future rather than terrorism and disease.
Yousafzai said the government remained committed to protecting children and ensuring a healthy and secure future for them, adding that militant groups could not determine the future of Balochistan’s children.
The shooting comes amid continued security challenges in Balochistan, where authorities have stepped up efforts to protect public services and essential health campaigns.
