Kidnapped: Sindh Assembly speaker visits missing reporter’s family

The Sindh Express reporter Asghar Tahreem was kidnapped on November 7.

SHIKARPUR:

Sindh Assembly speaker Agha Siraj Durrani visited the residence of the missing Sindh Express reporter, Asghar Thaheem, on Wednesday and assured the family that efforts were underway to recover the reporter and his driver.

The reporter’s father, Anwer Thaheem, complained to Durrani that Shikarpur SSP Pervez Chandio was not cooperating with the victims’ families. He also requested the speaker to ensure the early release of his son.

The speaker said that he had contacted Sindh chief minister Syed Qaim Ali Shah, Pakistan Peoples Party leader Faryal Talpur and Sindh IGP Shahid Nadeem Baloch, adding that appropriate measures were being taken to recover the missing men.

The families have not received any ransom calls but sources believe that despite being a high-profile case and the fact that the kidnapping has been noticed by the speaker, the reporter’s recovery would not be easy as the suspects seem to be powerful.

Meanwhile, journalists in different towns of the district held sit-ins against the kidnapping of the reporter.

Asghar along with his driver, Tariq Soomro, was kidnapped on their way to his village, Dakhan, from Larkana on November 7. His car was found a day after his kidnapping near Piyaral Dahani village. Both the missing persons hail from Durrani’s constituency.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2013.