Cop on polio duty martyred in Jamrud

JAMRUD: A policeman deputed to guard a polio team was martyred when unidentified armed men opened fire on him at the Ghundi village in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber district on Monday.

The Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistani (TTP) claimed the killing of a police officer. The officer was travelling to guard polio vaccinators in the area of Jamrud town in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when he was killed, local police official Zarmat Khan told AFP.

They said that a cop Abdul Khaliq was deputed to provide security to polio workers in Ghundi village where he was attacked.

Abdul Khaliq was riding a motorcycle when he was attacked. The cop sustained injuries in the firing and was rushed to a hospital where he succumbed to his injuries. The attackers fled the scene after committing the crime.

The police registered the case against the unidentified accused and started an investigation. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif strongly condemned the attack. The prime minister expressed deep sorrow and grief over the martyrdom of police personnel assigned to protect the polio teams, PM Office Media Wing said in a press release.

“The entire nation salutes the polio workers who risk their lives to be part of the campaign to eradicate polio from the country,” he added. The prime minister said that the sacrifices of polio teams and the security personnel protecting them would not go in vain.

He further said the anti-polio campaign would continue with full determination despite all challenges, adding that they were committed to the complete eradication of polio from the country. Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the attack, and praised Abdul Khalique s bravery stating that the constable achieved martyrdom while protecting the polio team.