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Four polio workers abducted in Tank, search under wayPakistan
Four polio vaccination workers were seized by armed men in Tank district, prompting the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to condemn the abduction and call for their safe return.
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Four polio vaccination workers have been abducted by armed men in Tank district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police accounts reported, in an incident that has drawn condemnation from the provincial governor.
According to police accounts carried by Pakistani newspapers, the workers were travelling to perform their duties when armed men opened fire and seized the team, taking them to an undisclosed location. The incident took place in the Sheikh Attar union council area of Tank district, on the first day of a sub-national immunisation round.
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Police have launched an investigation and a search operation to trace the workers and identify those responsible, but their whereabouts remained unknown at the time of reporting. Police have not named a suspect, and have not said whether the workers were targeted because of their vaccination work.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemned the abduction and expressed deep concern for the safety of the four health workers, calling for immediate and effective measures to secure their safe recovery. He described the incident as deeply regrettable, according to reports of his statement.
In a separate incident in the same week, two members of a polio vaccination team were abducted in the Azam Warsak area of Lower South Waziristan and later released, according to the same police accounts. The two incidents are not confirmed to be linked.
The abductions came as Pakistan began a nationwide campaign running from 2 to 8 November in 97 districts, aiming to reach nearly 24 million children under five. Pakistan remains one of only two countries where wild poliovirus is still endemic, and attacks on vaccination teams have repeatedly disrupted campaigns in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The same week also saw two police personnel killed in Mohmand district while travelling to provide security to a polio team, in a separate attack that the governor also condemned. Officials said the violence underlines the risks faced by frontline health workers and the police officers assigned to protect them.
For the families of the four workers in Tank, the immediate question remains unanswered: where they are, and when they will come home. Authorities say efforts to recover them are under way, and the governor has urged that no effort be spared in bringing them back safely.
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