Intercepted in FR Tank: Doctor, polio worker among six ‘kidnapped’

Search operation under way; paramilitary personnel among those abducted.

DI KHAN:

In another blow to the anti-polio drive, the Agency Polio Eradication Officer (APEO) of the World Health Organisation (WHO) for North Waziristan, along with another staffer, a driver and three paramilitary men were reportedly kidnapped from Frontier Region (FR) Tank on Monday.

“The team embarked on an immunisation campaign but did not return,” a WHO official told The Express Tribune. “We assume that they have been kidnapped.”

However, he refused to give any other information, whether the kidnappers were identified or a demand for ransom had been made.

According to political administration, they were abducted from Ping area at around 12:45pm, less than three hours after they started their trip.

Security forces began a search operation but none of the abductees were found until the filing of this report. The official added that they were not sure if the men had been taken away to South Waziristan, which is adjacent to FR Tank.

The WHO doctor was identified as Dr Khan Dad, while the polio worker was identified as Farid Khan, and the driver was a man named Aslam. The men of the paramilitary Khassadar force were identified as Amanullah, Daulat Khan and Minhas.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 18^th, 2014.