A lady polio worker was attacked and severely injured by armed assailants earlier yesterday, as she was returning home after administering polio drops in Garhi Yasin area of Sindh’s Shikarpur district.
According to reports, polio worker Afshan and her brother Zaheer Mahar were returning home from Shikarpur after administrating polio drops when four armed men intercepted them in the outskirts of a village, Korejo, and opened fire on them.
As a result of the firing Afshan got severely injured and was shifted by police to taluka hospital, from where she was transferred to Larkana’s Chandka Hospital in view of her critical condition.
The police and local administration declared that the incident was outcome of an old enmity between Mahar and Marfani tribes. However, Afshan’s brother negated the claim and said she was targeted for administering polio drops. No FIR was registered till filing of the report.
Taking notice, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari asked the Sindh government to bring the culprits to book and provide the best treatment to the injured.
In a statement issued from Islamabad, the former president said polio workers are ‘our heroes’ who are working to protect our future generation from the crippling disease. “Attack on polio workers will not be tolerated,” he said.
Separately, another team of two lady polio workers – Zeenat and Sartaj – were attacked by dogs, which, a local journalist claimed, were unleashed on them in order to stop them from carrying out their duties.
The incident took place near village Ghar Pehanja situated in Amrot Sharif area of Shikarpur. Reports said dogs started chasing the polio worker as soon as they entered the village. The polio worker hardly managed to escape the animals after they took shelter in a house.
