An anti-polio team escaped unhurt in a gun attack by unidentified persons in the Diamer district of Gilgit Baltistan on Monday, the day when the first-ever polio case in the region surfaced. A polio monitoring team came under the attack in the Tangir Sheikhu area, which was noticed by the GB chief minister Haji Gulbar Khan, said Spokesperson Faizullah Faraq.

The official said the four-member polio team visited the area without informing the local authorities. The incident occurred due to the presence of women in the area, he said, stressing the polio team should have alerted the local administration before the visit so that staff security could be stepped up. He said the monitoring team – including zonal in-charge Bilal, Kainat, Adnan and Iqbal – were shifted to a safe place.

Police have registered a case and launched an investigation. The government would continue the ongoing polio campaign with stepped-up security, Faiz said. Earlier in the day, the National Institute of Health confirmed the first-ever polio case from the same district of Gilgit-Baltistan, suggesting that the virus is spreading in Pakistan.

Credit: Independent News Pakistan (INP)