Two police killed guarding polio teams in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa attacks
Synopsis
Two police officers escorting polio vaccination teams were shot dead in Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa — the third fatal attack on polio security personnel in Pakistan since February 2025. With Pakistan and Afghanistan the world's last two wild poliovirus strongholds, each killing chips away at the already precarious operational environment keeping eradication efforts alive.
Key Takeaways
Two police personnel were killed in attacks on polio vaccination teams in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 19 May 2025 .
Attacks occurred in Tabbai and Dag Qila regions of Salarzai ; assailants remain unidentified.
KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi condemned the attacks and ordered the Inspector General to file a detailed report.
A police constable was killed in Hangu district on 13 April 2025 in a similar attack on a polio security party.
A police officer was killed in Chaman, Balochistan in February 2025 in a comparable incident.
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only countries where wild poliovirus remains endemic.
At least two police personnel escorting polio vaccination teams were killed in separate attacks in Bajaur district of Pakistan's Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Monday, 19 May 2025, according to local media reports. The killings mark the latest in a sustained pattern of violence targeting polio eradication workers and their security escorts across Pakistan.
How the Attacks Unfolded
Unidentified assailants struck polio vaccination teams in the Tabbai and Dag Qila regions of Salarzai, according to reports citing a senior police official. The two incidents occurred in quick succession, underscoring the coordinated nature of the threat faced by vaccination teams operating in the province.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi condemned the attacks and directed the Inspector General of Police to submit a detailed report on the incidents.
A Recurring Pattern of Violence
The Bajaur killings are not isolated. In April 2025, a police constable was killed and four others were injured when unidentified assailants opened fire on a law enforcement party providing security cover for polio teams in Hangu district. That attack occurred on 13 April during a vaccination campaign in Thall tehsil, according to the Hangu district police.
In February 2025, a police officer was killed when gunmen fired on a police vaccination team in Chaman district of Balochistan. The same month, polio teams in Lahore faced a different form of resistance: parents in the Harbanspura area allegedly refused to allow drops to be administered to their children and subsequently attacked health workers. According to the FIR filed, the suspects called accomplices who also assaulted the workers before police arrived following a helpline call. A separate case was registered by Shahdara police against parents accused of harassing female polio workers in their area.
Why Pakistan Remains a Polio Flashpoint
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic. Polio workers in Pakistan have been repeatedly targeted, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where militant groups have historically spread misinformation about vaccination campaigns and carried out attacks on teams and their security escorts.
This is the third fatal attack on polio security personnel in Pakistan since February 2025, reflecting a dangerous escalation that threatens to derail the country's already fragile progress toward eradication.
What Happens Next
The Inspector General's report ordered by Chief Minister Afridi is expected to inform any security protocol changes for future vaccination drives. Global health bodies including the World Health Organization (WHO) and UNICEF have consistently flagged the security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa as the single biggest operational obstacle to Pakistan achieving polio-free status. Whether Islamabad can translate political condemnations into durable field-level protection for its vaccination teams remains the critical unanswered question.
Point of View
Yet the operational security framework for vaccination teams in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan remains visibly inadequate. The pattern — Bajaur in May, Hangu in April, Chaman in February — points to a systemic failure, not a string of isolated incidents. Until Islamabad moves beyond condemnations and invests in structural protection for field teams, the gap between political rhetoric and ground reality will continue to cost lives and delay eradication.
NationPress
10 Jul 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What happened in Bajaur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on 19 May 2025?
Two police personnel escorting polio vaccination teams were killed in separate attacks in the Tabbai and Dag Qila regions of Salarzai in Bajaur district. Unidentified assailants carried out the attacks, according to local media citing a senior police official.
Who condemned the Bajaur polio team attacks?
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi condemned the attacks and directed the Inspector General of Police to submit a detailed report on the incidents.
How many similar attacks have occurred in Pakistan in 2025?
At least three fatal attacks on police guarding polio teams have been reported since February 2025 — in Chaman (Balochistan) in February, in Hangu (KP) on 13 April, and now in Bajaur on 19 May. Non-lethal incidents, including attacks on health workers by residents in Lahore, have also been recorded.
Why are polio workers targeted in Pakistan?
Militant groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan have historically spread misinformation about vaccination campaigns and carried out attacks on teams and their security escorts. Resistance also comes from some communities whose members refuse vaccination and have assaulted health workers.
Why does Pakistan still have polio?
Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries in the world where wild poliovirus remains endemic. Ongoing insecurity, community resistance, and access restrictions — particularly in KP and Balochistan — have repeatedly disrupted vaccination campaigns and hampered eradication efforts.
