PESHAWAR/MULTAN – A polio vaccinator who was shot injured earlier by unidentified assailants in Khazana area, succumbed to his injuries in Lady Reading Hospital Peshawar on Thursday while aerial firing panicked polio campaigners in New Multan area forcing them to suspend their operation.
Sources said vaccinator, Hilal, had been on ventilator in Nerve Ward of the Lady Reading Hospital since he was shifted there for treatment. Doctors tried their level best to save his life but he could not survive and passed away on Thursday morning.
He was targeted in Shero Jhangi area in the jurisdiction of Khazana Police Station when armed motorcyclists sprayed bullets on him. Hilal, sustained critical bullet injuries in attack and was rushed to the LRH in Peshawar where he was operated upon.
It merits mentioning here that a team of anti-polio vaccinators was attacked in Behram Killay in Nowshera on the same day, while another team was assaulted in Garhi Zardad in Charsadda. Moreover, polio supervisor Zakia Begum and driver Ayaz were shot dead when they were on way to Tarkha Village in the limits of Battagram Police Station in Shabqadar area in Charsadda.
Police said earlier that two lady workers, identified as Ayesha and Tahira, were proceeding to take part in the anti-polio drive, when unidentified motorcyclists opened fire on them on Nowshera Road in Dheri Zardad in the limits of Nisatta Police Station. Both the woman remained unharmed in the ambush.
The attackers riding a motorcycle escaped from the scene. In the third incident in Charsadda, two masked men intercepted two lady polio workers in Sheikhu Union Council and threatened them when they were on the way to carry out vaccination.
Similarly, threats have also been given to polio workers in Peshawar while motorcyclists in several areas of Gulbahar have chased polio vaccinators to harass them. Police have registered FIRs in all the incidents and constituted special teams to net the perperators.
Meanwhile in New Multan area, aerial firing incident panicked polio vaccinators and they suspended their operation on Thursday.
The DCO Multan Nasim Sadiq, however, contradicted the reports that the firing was aimed at vaccinators, claiming it was a random aerial firing incident.
“A boy fired shots in the air in Ghauspura area of New Multan. Police are on hunt for him, though he did not fire on any vaccinator,” he added in a statement.
Separately, the lady health visitors from National Health Programme staged a demonstration against killings of polio vaccinators in different areas and demanded immediate arrest of the killers. Dozens of vaccinators gathered at Nawan Shehr Chowk and shouted slogans against terrorists. They also staged a sit in at the Chowk. Talking to the journalists, they said nothing could stop them from vaccinating the kids and serving the country.
“However, the government should take appropriate and immediate steps to ensure our security,” they demanded.