Gunmen kill five polio workers in Pakistan
A rescue worker checks blood-stained forms belonging to Nasima Bibi, a female worker of an anti-polio drive campaign who was shot by gunmen in Karachi. Pakistan is one of only three countries where the highly infectious crippling disease remains endemic, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria.—Reuters Photo
KARACHI: Gunmen shot five health workers on an anti-polio drive in a string of attacks in Pakistan on Tuesday, officials said, raising fears for the safety of workers immunizing children against the crippling disease.
Video: Polio in Pakisan: Rejecting, reforming and reasoning
Four were killed in three different incidents in the port city of Karachi and the fifth in the northwestern city of Peshawar, on the second day of a nationwide three-day drive against the disease, which is endemic in Pakistan.
All of the victims were Pakistanis working with a UN-backed programme to eradicate polio.
Sagheer Ahmed, the health minister for Sindh province said he had ordered a halt to the anti-polio drive in the city in the wake of the shootings.
The first incident occurred in Karachi’s Landhi area where unknown assailants opened fire upon a polio team, killing two female members of the team. Police told DawnNews that there were no eyewitnesses of the incident.
The relatives of the deceased said there was no police accompanying the polio team when the incident occurred.
The second incident occurred in the Raja Tanvir Colony in Karachi’s Orangi Town area where another polio team was attacked by unknown gunmen. The in-charge of the team, Dr Shafiq, said one female worker was killed on spot while a male worker was seriously injured in the firing. He was shifted to a hospital for treatment where he succumbed to his in juries.
A third polio team, sent by provincial health ministry, was attacked in Mochko area’s Mohammad Khan Colony. One female worker was killed and another male worker was injured in the attack.
The team had received telephone calls warning workers they would regret helping the “infidel” campaign against polio, said health official Gul Naz, who oversees project in the area where the women were shot.
In Peshawar, which lies close to the restive tribal areas, a haven for militants and hotspot for polio, two attackers on a motorbike fired on two sisters working on vaccination, killing one, senior police official Javed Khan told AFP.
The incident took place in Mathra suburb of Peshawar which borders Mohmand tribal district, Khan said.
Hayat blamed “militants who issued a fatwa against polio vaccination in the past” for the Karachi killings.
On Monday, police said a gunman killed a volunteer for the World Health Organization’s anti-polio campaign was shot dead on the city outskirts in Gadap Town.
Earlier in July 2012, a local paramedic associated with the polio vaccination was shot dead and a World Health Organisation doctor, Fosten Dido, from Ghana along with his driver were wounded in two separate attacks in the Sohrab Goth area.
WHO, a partner in government efforts to eradicate the disease, suspended vaccination activities in part of Pakistan’s largest city in July after a spate of bloody shootings.
In July, a local paramedic associated with the polio vaccination was shot dead and a World Health Organisation doctor, Fosten Dido, from Ghana along with his driver were wounded in two separate attacks in the Sohrab Goth area.
Pakistan is one of only three countries where the highly infectious crippling disease remains endemic, along with Afghanistan and Nigeria.
i don’t understand why do anyone want to kill the polio workers. Is it something personal or are these attack carried out by islamic militant or the pharmaceutical companies themselves?
Why rest of the Pakistan is silent on these violent, brutal and non sense killings. We are sleeping!!!!
It’s extremely sad to see human right violations, and brutal & violent killings of innocent people on day to day basis.
Human values are very low in the prioprity list. The ‘afterlife’ comes first.
This is really sad.
Merely feeling sorry is not enough.The root cause lies within Pakistanis.It is time for all Pakistanis to re evaluate their beliefs and reject irrationality and fanaticism.Don’t ask others,ask yourselves how can you get rid of the fanatic within you.
Dear Taliban brothers,
Kill all healthcare workers and terrorize them. Let they not dare to enter your bastion anymore. Don’t let your children vaccinated for polio or other disease. Its OK. Also, you guys don’t go to hospitals or seek medical treatment when hit by bullets! Live your lives your way! God is eagerly waiting you all send you to heaven. Good job! Keep it up. You will bring name and glory to ISLAM! Long live Islam.
inject polio virus into these killers and then ask them if they want the vaccine or bullet ?
we should salute these health worker for accepting this job in spite of the known situation. May God rest their soul in peace and help their families to be patient. Being targeted in these particular areas indicates local authorities for actions to be taken, else there will be surprise night visits by invader on their helicopters and the nation will again doubt for its country’s sovereignty.
What do we need to wake us from our slumber. How many more innocent lives have to be lost to this madness. Religious fanaticism and hatred is a world devouring fire that no one can quench. .
Hatred can stop only if the source that is constantly fanning it is somehow controlled.
Tall order.
what a doomed nation
Why is there no fatwa in favor of Polio vaccination?
Excellent question. We all know the answer, don’t we.
a child is a so pure for any country we should get united and lets make future together
Great job, keep up the good work !!!
I can guaranty heaven to the militants who issued the fatwa & the shooters. Also can guaranty hell fire to workers who were immunizing little children & died.
What do you expect from wild animals, people and media stop calling them taliban or humans anymore. Also this their anger, coz one of polio doctor was involved in the caught of osama…
These terrorists are not only destructing the present, but the future also.
Why everything in Karachi. The fatwa was issued in Tribal area. Is a part of big story? Someone again to make it link with Talibanisation?
Our country, India, has eradicated the curse of polio few years back. In view of this happening in Karachi, we should continue to immunise the kids mainly in Gujarat,Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Jammu and Kashmir States, at least for a long tme to come, to protect our kids and also to ensure that no Pakistani kid carries the live virus while on a travel in India. Feel very sad for innocent Pakistani kids. It is a proud achievement for India to be Polio-free, from being the polio capital of the world earlier.
Annihilate south and north Wazirstan, the only solution.
nuke those areas.only way to get rid of those barbarians.
My heartly condolence to the families of these brave workers and my condolence also to my poor homeland. There are too many evil forces trying to cripple Pakistan and too few effective instruments and institutes to defend the country against these criminals.
We can pray and remain silent but I think the Almighty demands from us to react efficiently to safeguard those who are trying to keep the country upright and healthy.
I have seen polio victims in my family some fourty years ago and can not understand the sick minds who are trying to inflicht this desease to our childern.
Pakistan is heading back to the stone age. Amazing, Pakistan is in the category with Afghanistan and Nigeria for Polio. We are going back drastically.
Dont know how much Pakistani’s would have shouted expressing their concern for Muslims if ( God Forbid) such incident had happened in India.
Being a Muslim majority means that Pakistan doesnt have to answer the questions regarding the plight of Muslims in Pakistan
Seriously, you guys are soo messed up.
This must be seen under conspiracy theory. But for sure the polio team would be innocent. May Allah rest their souls in peace.
Pakistan the only country still having POLIO every country has it under control …. so SAD … this is extreme level of ‘JAHALAT’ — these kids are future & our leaders don’t care about them….