KHYBER AGENCY: Unknown militants gunned down a polio worker in the Jamrud Tehsil area of Khyber Agency on Saturday, officials said.

The polio worker Galiab was attacked in the Ghundi area of Jamrud Tehsil. He was severely wounded and was shifted to a local hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.

The Assistant Political Agent of the area, Jehangir Azam Wazir, confirmed the incident.

Some official sources also said that gunmen threw a pamphlet next to the polio worker, after opening fire on him, with a warning that all those who were part of any polio vaccination campaign or found working for any non-governmental organisation would be targeted in a similar manner.

Earlier on Dec 13, gunmen had attacked two separate polio teams in northwestern Pakistan, killing one polio worker and two police guards.

Earlier on November 23, militants had also kidnapped teachers for supporting a polio drive but they were later released following a jirga intervention.

Pakistan is one of only three countries in the world where the polio virus is still endemic, but efforts to stamp out the crippling disease have been hit by repeated attacks on health teams.

Officials blame the violence and suspicions about the vaccine for a surge in cases. According to the World Health Organisation, Pakistan recorded 72 cases of polio this year compared to 58 in 2012.

Kidnapped Peshawar doctor recovered from Khyber Agency

Prominent physician of Lady Reading Hospital Dr Amjad Taqweem, who was kidnapped from Peshawar in the first week of December, was recovered by security forces' personnel from Khyber Agency today.

Dr Amjad Taqweem was recovered from the Ali Masjid area of Jamrud Tehsil in Khyber Agency.

Assistant Political Agent, Jehangir Wazir, confirmed his recovery while speaking to Dawn.com.

Unidentified persons had kidnapped Taqweem on Dec 3 after he came out of a mosque at Hayatabad Township.

Dr Amjad is a specialist rheumatologist and is heading the Medical-C unit of Lady Reading Hospital, one of the largest public sector hospitals in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.