Pakistan: Polio vaccination team assaulted, belongings stolen in Rawalpindi

Rawalpindi : A female polio vaccination team from the Punjab health department was reportedly assaulted and had their belongings stolen, including polio vaccines and cash, by a group of employees from the Cantonment Board Chaklala.

The police have registered a complaint against the alleged perpetrators based on the victim's report, Dawn reported. According to the FIR, the female health staff faced physical abuse and threats from the Cantonment Board employees.

Khadija Bibi, who filed the FIR with the Civil Lines police, explained that her team was engaged in administering polio drops when the incident occurred. After completing their duties, they returned to the Chaklala Cantonment Medical Center in Dehri Hassanabad.

Upon arriving at the medical centre, Bibi claimed that around 40 employees from the Cantonment Board Chaklala forcibly entered a storage room designated for the health team. They took various items, including the polio vaccines, a bag containing Rs15,000 in cash, and personal medicines, reported Dawn.

Bibi further alleged that as she went inside to fetch medicine, the employees mistreated her, physically assaulting her by slapping and pushing her. The employees also took all of their belongings, and the male staff accompanying them also faced abuse and physical attacks.

Bibi has urged the police to pursue legal action against those responsible and to recover the stolen items, Dawn reported.

In Pakistan, the polio eradication campaigns have faced significant challenges, including attacks and backlash driven by religious and ideological opposition. Recent incidents reflect the dangerous environment for polio workers in certain regions.

For instance, as per a report on September 10, a remote-controlled bomb exploded near a police van in Wana Rustam Bazar, South Waziristan, injuring 13 people, including six police officers and seven civilians. The blast occurred on Kir Kot Road while police were securing an anti-polio campaign, highlighting the persistent risks associated with these vaccination efforts.

The attack targeted one of the police vehicles protecting polio workers, illustrating the volatile situation faced by both security personnel and health workers in conflict-prone areas.

The anti-polio campaign aimed to vaccinate approximately 70,000 children in the district, with 480 police officers deployed to ensure the safety of 297 polio teams.

The increasing frequency of attacks on polio workers over the past decade underscores the ongoing dangers in Pakistan's north-western regions, which are plagued by security issues and ideological opposition to vaccination efforts