Unidentified assailants opened fire on Levies constable in Swat despite additional police teams being deployed to the area.
A Levies constable, identified as Abdul Kabeer by the state-run APP, who was assigned to protect a polio vaccination team, was killed on Tuesday when unidentified assailants opened fire on him in Swat district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said.
The incident occurred a day after the government launched a national polio eradication campaign, targeting more than 45 million children. A special order had been issued for the campaign, deploying additional police officers and personnel.
Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world, along with Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Safety risks, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation continue to slow eradication efforts.
Swat District Police Officer Muhammad Umar Khan said the martyred officer was on duty alongside an anti-polio team consisting of two female health workers.
“The workers were administering vaccines inside a home while the officer stood guard outside when he was attacked,” he said. “The attackers fled the scene after the incident.”
Read: Today the national campaign against polio begins
Khan added that police and law enforcement officials reached the scene and launched an investigation.
“The area has been cordoned off and a search operation is underway to arrest the perpetrators. No anti-state element will be allowed to disturb the peace in Swat,” he said, adding that those responsible for the attack will be brought to justice.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the terrorist attack on the polio vaccination team in Matta area of Swat and offered his condolences for the martyred security official.
“The government is committed to the complete eradication of polio from the country. Despite resistance from terrorists, the anti-polio campaign continues with full momentum and will continue until the disease is completely eradicated,” he said.
Federal Home Minister Mohsin Naqvi also condemned the attack and paid tributes to the martyred official. He expressed his condolences to the family of the deceased.
“The attackers who attacked the team working to safeguard the future of our children do not deserve any leniency,” he said.
Federal Minister Engineer Amir Maqam strongly condemned the attack on a polio eradication team in Tehsil Matta, Swat. He paid tribute to the brave staff of Levies, Abdul Kabir, who was martyred in the incident.
“Those who give their lives in the line of national duty are true heroes of the nation,” he said. He added that terrorist elements are threatening the future of the nation’s children, but stressed that they will not be allowed to succeed under any circumstances.
Read more: Two Levies staff martyred in attack on polio team in Mastung
The national polio campaign was scheduled to take place across the country from October 13 to 19. More than 400,000 health workers will go door-to-door to ensure children are vaccinated against polio, according to the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC).
Polio vaccinators, who vaccinate children door-to-door, are often targeted by militants, especially in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan. In 2024 alone, at least 20 people were killed and 53 injured during anti-polio operations in KP.
Two security personnel assigned to protect a polio vaccination team were shot dead in a targeted attack in April in Balochistan’s Mastung district.
Data from September showed a decline in vaccine refusal during the latest immunization campaign in KP, although in some areas, such as Lowi Mamund Tehsil, residents announced a boycott of the campaign.
Despite significant progress in recent years, Pakistan remains one of the few countries in the world where polio continues to cripple children, and health authorities warn that continued vigilance and public cooperation are essential to stopping transmission.
The NEOC confirmed that the total number of polio cases reported in Pakistan was 27 in 2025. According to the NEOC, Sindh has reported seven cases so far this year, highlighting the ongoing challenges in eradicating the crippling virus from the province.
