BISP chief condemns attack on polio team in Noshki

Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) Chairperson Senator Rubina Khalid has strongly condemned an attack on a polio vaccination team in Noshki, Balochistan, in which two police officers assigned to protect the team were killed.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, Khalid expressed deep grief over the deaths of the officers, one of whom she identified as Muhammad Yasir, and extended condolences to the bereaved families.

Polio vaccination teams in parts of Pakistan, particularly in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have repeatedly come under attack from militants opposed to immunisation drives, prompting authorities to assign police escorts to health workers administering the vaccine.

Khalid called for continued and enhanced protection of vaccination staff so that the country's polio eradication campaign can proceed without interruption. She said attacks on frontline workers undermine efforts to protect children from a preventable disease.

Pakistan remains one of only two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio is still endemic. Security threats to vaccination teams have long been cited by health officials as one of the biggest obstacles to eliminating the virus completely.