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LAHORE, Pakistan: A clash between Pakistan authorities and thousands of protesters marching in support of Palestinians killed at least five people including a police officer and injured dozens of other officers on Monday, police and witnesses said.

Punjab Police Chief Usman Anwar said demonstrators opened fire on authorities, killing the officer and wounding others. Police said three protesters and one passerby also died in the clashes before the demonstrators were dispersed.

The march was organized by political party Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan, or TLP, which said in a statement that hundreds of rally participants were injured and the casualty figure was high among its supporters.

Videos released by TLP on Monday showed several vehicles burning, including a truck carrying party officials who were leading what they have called the “long march,” which started in eastern Pakistan on Friday with demonstrators planning to march from Lahore toward the capital, Islamabad.

The march has resulted in violence between authorities and demonstrators. Police arrested more than 100 people during a protest on Saturday.

The latest clashes Monday began when protesters tried to remove shipping containers placed by police to block roads. Supporters clashed with police in Lahore and later camped in the nearby town of Muridke before resuming the march.

Before dawn Monday, TLP distributed a video of party chief Saad Rizvi urging security forces to stop firing and saying he was ready to negotiate. Gunfire could be heard in the background as Rizvi addressed supporters.

Rizvi was among the wounded Monday, TLP said. There was no information on his whereabouts and police said a search was underway to trace and arrest demonstrators and protest leaders who were hiding in nearby neighborhoods.

The demonstrators were determined to stage a pro-Palestinian rally outside the US Embassy in Islamabad and police came under fire when they launched an operation to disperse the crowd, according to Anwar, who said they were still assessing the damage.

The US Embassy issued a security alert last week ahead of the march, warning of possible disruptions and urging US citizens to exercise caution.

The TLP, known for staging disruptive and sometimes violent demonstrations, has drawn mixed reactions online. Some in Pakistan have accused the government of overreacting to the march by blocking major roads even before the protest began.

Pakistan Deputy Interior Minister Talal Chaudhry said over the weekend that he failed to understand why TLP opted for violence instead of celebrating peace in Gaza.

TLP gained prominence in Pakistan’s 2018 elections by campaigning on the single issue of defending the country’s blasphemy law, which calls for the death penalty for anyone who insults Islam. Since then, the party has staged violent rallies, mainly against desecration abroad of Islam’s holy book, Qur’an.

The party has held pro-Palestinian rallies in recent years in Lahore and other cities. This march was planned to travel toward the US embassy to express support for Palestinians.

KARACHI: Pakistan on Monday launched a week-long nationwide polio vaccination campaign to immunize more than 45 million children under five, as authorities race to eliminate the paralytic disease that continues to threaten one of the world’s last remaining endemic countries.

Led by the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) under the Pakistan Polio Eradication Initiative, the campaign will cover 159 districts across the country from October 13 to 19, while vaccination in seven districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will take place from October 20 to 23. Alongside the oral polio vaccine, children will receive Vitamin A drops to strengthen immunity.

Officials said more than 400,000 trained vaccinators have been mobilized to reach every household and administer the drops at doorsteps. This is the fourth national polio campaign of 2025, with the government aiming to protect children from a disease that can cause lifelong paralysis.

Since Pakistan launched its eradication program in 1994, systematic house-to-house campaigns have reduced annual polio cases by 99.6 percent, from an estimated 20,000 each year to 74 cases in 2024 and 29 so far in 2025, according to official data.

The new campaign comes amid a resurgence of poliovirus, with infections reported in multiple provinces. Health authorities say recent flooding and population displacement have disrupted sanitation systems and health services, heightening the risk of transmission through stagnant water and mobile populations.

“We have continued to make progress, with detections declining overall in the country since last year, but our work is far from over — especially now, when the risk of further spread is high in the aftermath of recent flooding,” said Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq, the Prime Minister’s Focal Person for Polio Eradication. 

“Protecting children from polio is a shared responsibility, and I urge all parents and caregivers to open their doors to vaccinators and ensure their children receive the lifesaving drops that protect them from a lifelong, paralyzing disease.”

The NEOC said the campaign reflects Pakistan’s “continued commitment to achieving a polio-free future” through nationwide mobilization and global partnerships. 

The initiative aims to reach 23.3 million children in Punjab, 10.6 million in Sindh, 7.2 million in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 2.6 million in Balochistan, 700,000 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, 200,000 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 400,000 in Islamabad.

To assist parents and caregivers, the Sehat Tahaffuz Helpline (1166) and 24/7 WhatsApp Helpline (0346-7776546) remain active for reporting missed children and seeking information on vaccination schedules.

Pakistan, along with Afghanistan, remains among the only two countries in the world where the wild poliovirus continues to circulate, despite decades of progress and international support. Health officials say sustained efforts are critical to ensuring that no child is left unprotected.