By Fazal Amin Shinwari
Bajaur District: Two police personnel deployed for the security of anti-polio teams were martyred in separate ambush attacks on the first day of the ongoing polio vaccination campaign in Bajaur district, officials said on Monday.
According to police sources, the first attack occurred in the Dog Qila Nazakai area of Salarzai tehsil, where Constable Syed Aziz, who was providing security to a polio team, was targeted by unidentified gunmen and embraced martyrdom on the spot.
While police were investigating the incident and conducting a search operation in the area, another attack took place in the village of Tabai in Salarzai tehsil. Police said Constable Syed Qadir Shah, who was returning from polio duty, came under indiscriminate firing by unknown assailants. He sustained critical injuries and later succumbed to his wounds.
The bodies of both martyred policemen were shifted to Bajaur Police Lines, where funeral prayers were offered with full official honors. Deputy Commissioner Shahid Ali, District Police Officer Muhammad Khalid, senior police and security officials, political leaders, and a large number of people from different walks of life attended the funeral prayers.
Emotional scenes were witnessed during the funeral ceremony as family members and relatives of the martyrs broke down in grief. A contingent of Bajaur Police presented a salute to the fallen officers before their bodies were sent to their native areas for burial with state honors.
Speaking on the occasion, leaders from different political parties, including Pakistan Peoples Party leader Haji Sher Bahadur and Awami National Party leader Syed Siddiq Akbar, expressed serious concerns over the deteriorating security situation. They urged the government to temporarily suspend the anti-polio campaign until security conditions improve.
Following the back-to-back attacks, district administration and police authorities further tightened security across Salarzai tehsil and other parts of Bajaur district. Search operations are underway in the affected areas to trace and arrest the attackers.
