Pakistan: Levies constable was shot dead while guarding a polio team in Swat

The incident occurred just a day after the Pakistani government launched a nationwide polio eradication campaign.

The campaign aims to vaccinate over 45 million children.

According to Swat’s District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Umar Khan, the deceased Levies constable was performing his duty along with a polio team comprising two female health workers, reported Dawn News.

“The workers were administering vaccines inside a house while the constable was standing guard outside when he was attacked,” he told the newspaper.

“The assailants fled the scene after the incident," he said.

Khan said law enforcement officials rushed to the spot and initiated an investigation into the incident.

“The area has been cordoned off, and a search operation is underway to arrest the culprits. No anti-state elements will be allowed to sabotage peace in Swat,” Khan said.

Pakistan's Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has condemned the incident.

Polio vaccinators are often targeted across the country when they visit door-to-door to vaccinate children.

These incidents witness a spike in Balochistan and KP.

In 2024 alone, 20 people were killed and 53 were injured during anti-polio campaigns in KP, reported Dawn News.