The recent strike by over a hundred police personnel providing security for polio vaccination teams in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district highlights the growing frustration among officers over their treatment in what is a critical duty for the health of all Pakistanis. These officers are assigned one of the most dangerous jobs in the country—accompanying polio workers to remote areas, fully aware that militant groups like Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and Islamic State target them as part of their propaganda, and that their lives are at risk every moment.

The government’s failure to offer adequate security and support, as well as its inability to counter the narrative that has twisted polio vaccinations into a global conspiracy, is at the heart of this issue. The common police constable should not be placed in harm’s way due to flawed government policy. If polio teams continue to be deployed with minimal staffing and insufficient police protection, they are essentially being sent as sacrificial lambs, vulnerable to militant attacks at any time. This thankless task should not only be respected by the government, with those who have lost their lives honoured as heroes, but also backed by stronger security measures and larger teams to face these threats.

Rather than dispatching small, isolated teams, the government must send larger, more robust contingents, even if it means fewer missions. This would ensure better protection and reduce the risk of further casualties. Additionally, the government must take proactive steps to dismantle these militant groups in the area to prevent future attacks. Pakistan cannot afford to let this situation continue.

Should the police refuse to perform this duty, and polio workers follow suit, the disease—eradicated in most of the world—could stage a comeback in Pakistan, putting the country’s children at risk of a disease that has been eliminated across the globe.