{
  "id": 8729185,
  "title": "Police, Levies and Khasadar personnel in merged districts announce boycott of polio campaign duties",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/police-levies-and-khasadar-personnel-in-merged-districts-announce-8729185",
  "topic": "health",
  "section": "Health & Medicine",
  "published": "2026-09-20T16:53:29.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dawn - Pakistan",
    "slug": "dawn-pakistan",
    "url": "https://www.dawn.com/news/2031379/police-levies-and-khasadar-personnel-in-merged-districts-announce-boycott-of-polio-campaign-duties"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Police and Khasadar personnel in Merged Districts have announced a boycott of the upcoming polio vaccination campaign scheduled to commence on September 21, 2023. The decision was made after the government and police department failed to meet their service-related demands. The boycott will persist until their grievances are addressed and their longstanding issues are resolved. The protest began with a sit-in at the historic Bab-i-Khyber, where the committee chairman, Syed Jalal, announced the boycott and the imposition of a fine of Rs25 million on any Levies or Khasadar personnel participating in polio duties. In addition to the boycott, the protesting forces have stopped registering first information reports (FIRs) and recording daily police diaries at police stations in the merged districts. This development has raised concerns about the arrangements for the upcoming polio campaign, as the three-day drive is set to begin on September 21, 2023. Former Levies and Khasadar personnel have not received a clear service structure since the merger of erstwhile Fata with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in 2020, causing concerns about their seniority and service benefits. They also raised concerns over the absence of a clear mechanism for promotions and pensions, calling the situation unfair and demanding a defined framework for their career progression and retirement benefits. The committee announced plans to establish protest camps outside the deputy commissioners' offices in each merged district, maintaining their protest until their demands are met. Despite the ongoing protest, police personnel in Mohmand recently peacefully resolved a dispute over a passageway in Kargan Kalay, Prang Ghar, demonstrating the importance of timely intervention in maintaining public order.",
  "summary": "MOHMAND: Personnel of the Levies and Khasadar forces in the merged tribal districts have announced a boycott of an upcoming polio vaccination campaign set to begin on September 21, citing what they described as the government and police department’s failure to fulfil commitments regarding their service-related demands. An official of the Mohmand police told Dawn that the announcement was made…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 2,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Dawn - Pakistan",
        "title": "Police, Levies and Khasadar personnel in merged districts announce boycott of polio campaign",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/20/police-levies-and-khasadar-personnel-in-merged-districts-announce",
        "published": "2026-09-20T16:22:00.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}