QUETTA: As Balochistan Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan officially launched a special anti-polio campaign administrating polio drops to children at a ceremony, on Thursday, an official of the vaccination drive was gunned down in Chaman.

The ceremony follows a high-level review meeting of the Polio Task Force, chaired by Chief Secretary Shakeel Qadir Khan, where the province’s polio status was assessed and strategies for the upcoming drive were finalised.

Speaking to the media, the chief secretary announced that the campaign will begin on September 1, targeting 26 districts and aiming to vaccinate around 2 million children against the poliovirus.

He highlighted promising progress in the province’s polio eradication efforts, noting that 22 out of 23 environmental samples collected across Balochistan have tested negative, while no polio cases had been reported in the past 10 months — a major milestone.

He stressed the importance of continued vigilance, saying special attention would be given to areas with positive environmental samples, particularly Baleli, a locality on the outskirts of Quetta where the virus was recently detected.

Reaffirming the government’s commitment to a polio-free Balochistan, Mr Khan urged parents to ensure their children receive the life-saving vaccine during the campaign.

To support the initiative, the provincial administration, in collaboration with health authorities and international partners, will mobilise thousands of health workers to reach every eligible child, especially in high-risk zones.

Vaccination drive official gunned down

Meanwhile, a supervisor of the anti-polio programme was gunned down today by unidentified armed men in Chaman, a Pakistani town bordering Afghanistan.

Officials said the tragic incident occurred in the Killi Muhammad Hussain area of Roghani, on the outskirts of Chaman.

“Qari Abdul Qadir, the polio programme supervisor, was conducting a polio awareness campaign ahead of the formal launch of the anti-polio drive on September 1 in Killi Muhammad Hussain, along with other polio workers, including female staff, when unidentified motorcyclists opened fire on him,” Assistant Commissioner Chaman Imtiaz Ali Baloch said.

He added that Qari Abdul Qadir sustained multiple bullet wounds and died on the spot. Police rushed to the scene and shifted the body to the District Hospital Chaman, where doctors confirmed his death from multiple gunshot injuries.

“Female workers who were part of the awareness campaign, along with other people, remained unharmed in the firing,” Mr Baloch said,Local JUI-F leaders confirmed that Qari Abdul Qadir was the Salar (leader) of JUI-F Chaman. They announced a protest rally in the town against the killing.

Police have registered a case against unidentified gunmen and launched an investigation.

Published in Dawn, August 29th, 2025