KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi condemns the abduction of four polio workers in Tank as a nationwide vaccination campaign targets millions of children.
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Governor Faisal Karim Kundi on Tuesday condemned the abduction of four polio workers in Tank and urged authorities to take immediate measures to ensure their safe recovery.
In a statement, the governor described the incident as deplorable, saying polio workers were performing a national duty to protect children’s health and secure a healthier future for Pakistan.
Kundi stressed that protecting vaccination teams was the government’s responsibility and called for effective measures to ensure their safety while carrying out immunisation activities.
“Targeting polio workers is against humanity and the national interest,” he said, urging authorities to make every possible effort to recover the missing workers safely.
The incident comes as Pakistan continues its nationwide efforts to eradicate polio, with vaccination teams working to immunise millions of children against the crippling disease.
A nationwide polio vaccination campaign began on November 2, targeting more than 4.8 million children under the age of five across 27 districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The abduction in Tank has raised concerns over the security of frontline vaccination workers, who play a crucial role in reaching children during successive immunisation campaigns.
Pakistan recently confirmed its eighth polio case of 2026, involving a 13-month-old girl from Bara tehsil in Khyber district. The National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) for Polio Eradication confirmed the case on November 1.
It was the second polio case reported from Khyber district this year and the sixth in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The remaining two cases were reported from Sindh, bringing the country’s total to eight.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reported the highest number of polio cases in Pakistan this year, highlighting the continuing challenge of reaching and protecting children against the virus.
Following the latest confirmation, the NEOC urged parents to ensure that all children under five receive oral polio vaccine (OPV) doses during the ongoing campaign and subsequent vaccination rounds.
Health authorities have repeatedly stressed the importance of completing vaccination doses to protect children and prevent the spread of poliovirus.
The safe recovery of the four abducted workers remains a pressing concern as vaccination activities continue in the province.
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