SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: According to officials, a police constable leading a group of surveyors for the polio campaign accepted martyrdom during a gunfight in the South Waziristan area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Friday.
SHO Zabihullah Wazir of the Raghzai police station reported that Constable Rahimullah Mehsood was attacked in the Manra region of Birmal tehsil. He clarified that he was on duty alongside a team of post-immunization drive surveyors.
The campaign was over before the holy month of Ramadan, as polio staff informed Dawn, and a post-campaign assessment was in progress.
According to sources, as the crew was touring the steep village of Manra, the constable was approached by alleged militants who demanded that he give up his official firearm and surrender.
Constable Mehsood, however, resisted, saying he would never want to be remembered as a coward and that he would fight until the militants fired at him.
The polio surveillance crew was not hurt in the firing, according to the police.
According to officials, a police contingent responded quickly to the scene after receiving information about the event. The area was then sealed off and a search and rescue effort was initiated.
