A Pakistani police officer travelling to protect polio vaccinators was shot dead on Monday, police said, as the country launched its first nationwide immunisation campaign of the year following a sharp rise in cases.
The officer was en route to guard a vaccination team in Jamrud, a town in northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province when he was killed, local police official Zarmat Khan told AFP.
“Two motorcycle riders opened fire on him,” he said. “The constable died instantly at the scene.”

Pakistan and neighbouring Afghanistan remain the only countries where polio is endemic, with militants having targeted vaccination teams and their security escorts for decades.
Pakistan recorded at least 73 polio cases last year, a sharp increase from just six in 2023. The vaccination campaign, which began on Monday, is the first of the year and is scheduled to run for a week.
“Despite the incident, the polio vaccination drive in the area continues,” Khan said.