Armed men opened fire on two police officers who were guarding a polio vaccination team in Quetta’s Nawa Killi neighborhood On Tuesday, police said.
The attack occurred on the first day of a seven-day campaign to immunize over 2.6 million children under the age of five in Balochistan against polio.
Asif Marwat, the SHO at Zarghoonabad Station, confirmed the casualties. He named the martyrs Syed Muhammad and Constable Shaukat Ali.
The SHO stated that none of the polio team members were hurt during the attack; however, they did note that the polio campaign in Nawa Killi and its environs had been put on hold.
Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo took notice of the situation and asked the relevant officials for a report on the assault. He described the occurrence as a conspiracy against the nation’s children’s future health.
“The attacks against the polio campaign and the evil intentions of the anti-state elements will be thwarted,” he stated, urging the prosecution of the offenders.
In a statement, foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari denounced what he called a “terrorist attack” on the Quetta polio squad. Additionally, he expressed regret and mourning over the deaths of the two police officers.
He expressed the wish that the attackers will be apprehended quickly. The nation’s children’s health was at risk, according to FM Bilawal, and those responsible would be dealt with harshly.
