At least two people, including a constable, were killed after unidentified assailants attacked a polio team in the Salarzai tehsil of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district, the police said, as the nationwide polio campaign entered its second day.

The attack comes a day after the government launched the final polio campaign of 2025, which is set to run until December 21.

Public Relations Officer (PRO) police, Israr Khan, confirmed to Dawn that two people, including a passerby and a policeman guarding the polio team, were killed in the attack on Tuesday afternoon in the Thangi area of Salarzai.

Khan identified the martyred cop as Constable Sajad Ahmed, who passed away after sustaining critical injuries, while another civilian was “shot dead by the armed men when he attempted to chase after the assailants.”

“Local residents also confirmed the account, while the assailants managed to escape,” Khan said, adding that the police had launched a search operation.

He also confirmed that no polio workers were harmed in the incident.

Polio vaccinators, who go door-to-door to inoculate children, are frequently targeted by militants, esp­e­cially in KP and Balochistan. In 2024 alone, 20 people were killed, and 53 were injured during anti-polio campaigns in KP.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack.

KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi condemned the attack, extending condolences to the families of the deceased, according to a statement posted on X by his digital media spokesperson.

“Polio workers and the security personnel assigned to protect them are performing their national responsibility,” KP CM was quoted as saying.

He termed the incident “an assault on humanity and national responsibility”.

He vowed that the “campaign will not be allowed to be impacted in any way”.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also condemned the attack, expressing grief over the death of the police constable, state broadcaster PTV reported.

He vowed to “bring the perpetrators to justice,” stressing that the campaign will continue until the virus is eradicated from the country.

The premier also prayed for the “speedy recovery of the injured”.

In October, a Levies constable deployed for the security of a polio team was killed when unidentified assailants opened fire on him in Swat.

According to official data cited in a November 9 report, a total of 96 people had been killed by alleged terrorists in KP since 2012 until then, including 61 policemen, 27 health workers and five civilians.

Also, 170 people, including 124 policemen, 28 health workers and 21 civilians, had been injured in attacks on polio teams. During this period, 32 health workers, three civilians and one policeman were kidnapped during vaccination campaigns.

Of the people who were subjected to violence in the shape of death, injuries and kidnapping, 283 were men and 18 women.

Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. So far, the country has recorded 30 polio cases this year, with the highest number of cases in KP at 19.

Challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed the progress of eradication efforts.

Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, along with the timely completion of all essential immunisations.