Abducted: Four oil company workers seized in FR Tank

Not immediately known if the men were kidnapped by militants

TANK: Four employees of an oil and gas exploration company have been abducted by gunmen in Frontier Regions Tank on Wednesday, officials confirmed on Thursday.

The employees of BGB Oil have been seized in the Kaj Mama area of FR Tank, a small administrative unit in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA).

Officials said a local jirga has been tasked to secure the release of the kidnapped men identified as Riaz, senior supervisor, Muhammad Ameer, driver, Rukhan Bettani, security guard, and Shaukat Hussain.



A senior officer told to The Express Tribune that the BGB Oil employees were travelling to an oil field Wednesday morning, when they were seized by gunmen.

The Kaj Mama area is located near the border of North and South Waziristan tribal agencies, which were once infested with Taliban militants. It was not immediately confirmed if the kidnappers were militants.

The local political administration has warned that anyone found involved in kidnapping would face punishment under the Collective Responsibility clause of the colonial-era Frontier Crimes Regulation.

Meanwhile, the local jirga convened in FR Tank to express full cooperation for securing the release of the kidnapped men.