Gomal Zam Road: Three tribal labourers abducted

Earlier the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe had asked for security on the road.

DERA ISMAIL KHAN:

Three labourers were kidnapped by unidentified armed men from Wana, South Waziristan Agency (SWA) on Tuesday evening, said a political administration official.

The tribesmen were identified as Irfan Khan, Ezatullah and Ghach. The three were working for daily wages, planting trees near Naghar Small Dam on Gomal Zam Road when the unidentified men took them at gunpoint.



Irfan, Ezatullah and Ghach belong to the Kaka Khel sub-tribe of Ahmadzai Wazir in Speen.  The Naghar Small Dam is also located in Speen.

As the news of the abduction spread, Kaka Khel tribesmen formed an armed militia and set out in search for the men in the mountains of South Waziristan. Unfortunately, they were unable to find the three abductees or any clues which could help locate Irfan, Ezatullah and Ghach.

So far, no one has claimed any responsibility for the act.

Gomal Zam Road – linking Wana with DI Khan via Tank district – is considered unsafe for the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe to travel on. In May, two young tribesmen, Iqbal Khan and Amanullah, were kidnapped from Gomal Zam Road near Tanai in Wana. The two had been en route to Wana from DI Khan. They have still not been released.

In February, armed men set six pickup trucks and one car on fire on the same road and looted the drivers and passengers. The vehicles belonged to the Ahmadzai Wazir tribe.

Earlier, the tribe’s jirga demanded the government provide security on the road to prevent kidnappings and other crimes. The SWA political administration agreed to do so, however, Tuesday’s incident reflects the situation has not improved much.

Gomal Zam Road is important for the Ahmadzai tribe as it is the only road they use to travel between Wana and DI Khan via Tank.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27^th, 2013.