Two Policemen Martyred on Polio Duty in Mohmand, Four Polio Workers Abducted in Tank
Constables Zahoor Khan and Arbai Khan were martyred and Sepoy Sabir Khan injured in Mohmand while heading for polio duty; four polio workers were abducted in Tank as the campaign targets nearly 24 million children.
Two policemen were martyred and a third was injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Mohmand district on Tuesday while they were on their way to join a polio team for security duty, in another deadly reminder of the risks faced by Pakistan’s anti-polio campaign.
Highlights
- Constables Zahoor Khan and Arbai Khan martyred in Mohmand attack
- Sepoy Sabir Khan injured near Hashim Kor checkpost, Dag Tamanzai, Pindiali tehsil
- Four polio workers abducted in Tank; KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi took notice
- Campaign is targeting nearly 24 million children in 97 high-risk districts
Headquarters DSP Liaquat Ali said the attack took place near the Hashim Kor police checkpost in the Dag Tamanzai area of Pindiali tehsil, and he identified the martyred policemen as Constables Zahoor Khan and Arbai Khan and the injured policeman as Sepoy Sabir Khan (Dawn, 4 Nov 2026). The policemen were on their way to join a polio team for security duty during the ongoing vaccination campaign when unidentified gunmen opened fire on them (Dawn, 4 Nov 2026).
Later in the day, funeral prayers for the two policemen were offered at the Police Lines in Ghalanai, attended by the Commandant Mohmand Rifles, the deputy commissioner, the district police officer and other officials, as well as local residents (Dawn, 4 Nov 2026). Senior officials laid floral wreaths on the bodies of the martyred policemen and offered condolences to their bereaved families (Dawn, 4 Nov 2026).
Four polio workers abducted in Tank
Separately, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi took notice of reports about the abduction of four polio workers in the province’s Tank district and directed relevant authorities to take “immediate and effective measures” for their safe recovery (Dawn, 4 Nov 2026). Police said the incident took place on Monday (Dawn, 4 Nov 2026).
“extremely regrettable and condemnable” — KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi, on the abduction of polio workers in Tank (Dawn, 4 Nov 2026)
The governor noted that polio workers “perform a national duty to protect children and promote a healthy Pakistan” and said the government was responsible for providing security to polio teams, adding that targeting polio workers was “against humanity and the national interest” (Dawn, 4 Nov 2026).
Campaign continues amid the threat
The incidents come as a sub-national polio vaccination campaign began across the country on Sunday, targeting nearly 24 million children in 97 high-risk districts (Dawn, 4 Nov 2026). Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only two countries where polio is still endemic (Dawn, 4 Nov 2026).
On Sunday, Pakistan reported its eighth polio case of the ongoing year — a 13-month-old girl from KP’s Khyber district — with six of the eight cases reported from KP and two from Sindh (Dawn, 4 Nov 2026). Security for health teams remains a provincial flashpoint, much like the governance disputes seen in the Karachi mayor and opposition row over development projects, while courts continue to handle sensitive security-linked cases, as in the ATC pre-arrest bail granted to four PTI leaders including Asad Qaiser.
