FAISALABAD: A polio worker was gunned down here on Tuesday.

Police said Mohammad Sarfraz, a teacher at the Government Rehmania High School, was administering polio drops near Saleemi Chowk in People’s Colony when two motorcyclists opened fire at him and fled.

Sarfraz was taken to the district hospital where he died.

After hearing the news, all polio workers suspended the vaccination campaign and gathered at the Zila Council Chowk along with dozens of teachers and blocked traffic for more than five hours.

Talking to reporters, they said the government had been using them for the campaign without providing any security. They said the teachers would not take classes in schools till the arrest of the killers.

Police claimed that Sarfraz’s killing might be the result of some enmity.

Adviser to the Punjab Chief Minister on Health Salman Rafiq said he was not sure whether it was a case of target killing.

He went to the victim’s residence and assured his family that criminals would be arrested soon and the justice would be done.

Mr Rafiq said the polio campaign would not be discontinued.

A team headed by Madina Town SP Nasir Sial had been constituted with the instructions to arrest the killers within 48 hours.

Meanwhile, City Police Officer Sohail Habib Tajik has constituted teams at the police station-level to protect polio workers during the four-day campaign.

Published in Dawn, December 10th, 2014