PESHAWAR, Pakistan: A police constable on duty to guard a polio team was injured in firing in Mardan district of northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Tuesday.
The district police officer (DPO) Mardan said that the police constable Habibullah was with a polio team to provide security while the vaccination team was administering polio drops to children in the Tambulak area of Mardan.
But in the meantime, a gunman opened fire that left Habibullah injured. However, the attacker was also killed in retaliatory fire by another police constable.
The injured policeman was immediately shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) Hospital for medical treatment.
The polio team was administering polio vaccine to children in the area as part of the Sihat Ka Ittehad programme launched in 10 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday including Bannu, Charsadda, Dera Ismail Khan, Hangu, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Mardan, Swabi, Tank and Torghar.
Under the campaign, over 2.1 children up to five years of age will be vaccinated against nine different diseases including polio.
The provincial health authorities have constituted more than 6,000 teams to administer drops to children.
