Levies official martyred while guarding polio team in Swat

ISLAMABAD: A Levies police official guarding a polio vaccination team amid the ongoing nationwide anti-polio drive was allegedly shot dead in Swat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

According to reports, the official, identified as Muhammad Umar, was on duty in the Matta area of Swat when unidentified assailants opened fire, killing him on the spot.

District Police Officer (DPO) Swat said the body was shifted to a nearby hospital soon after the incident.

The federal government had launched the nationwide polio eradication campaign on October 13, which will continue till October 19 across Pakistan. However, the drive in the erstwhile FATA region will begin on October 21 and conclude on October 23, as part of efforts to eradicate the virus.

According to the National Emergency Operations Centre (EOC), more than 45 million children are targeted to be administered polio drops during the campaign. The EOC, in a statement, said that coordinated and sustained efforts are underway to eliminate the crippling disease from the country.

The statement also urged all parents to complete the full course of routine immunizations for children from birth up to 15 months of age on time.