Incompetent administration?: Tribesmen stage demonstration over kidnapping of trader

Trader abducted on Wednesday still not recovered.

LANDIKOTAL: Tribesmen and traders closed down the main bazaar in Landikotal, Khyber Agency, on Friday in protest against the kidnapping of traders and the negligence of the political administration officials.

Unidentified armed persons allegedly kidnapped a trader, identified as Irfan Shinwari, from Landikotal bazaar on Wednesday. Following this incident, the traders union and tribesmen demanded the political administration of the agency to recover Shinwari within 24 hours, saying otherwise they will launch a protest, close down the bazaar and not allow a single vehicle to reach Torkham border.

Lal Rahim and Gul Rahim, president and vice president of the union, along with hundreds of tribesmen, closed down the main Pak-Afghan Highway for all traffic on Friday morning. The protesters chanted slogans against the political administration officials for not recovering Shinwari.

In his address, Lal Rahim said Shinwari would have been recovered by now if the political administration officials would have shown some seriousness about the matter.

“The political administration officials are focused on keeping the routes open and taking bribes from smugglers on the highway, not the welfare of the people,” alleged Lal Rahim. “Everyone who has been appointed here has come to make money.”

A political administration official, Daftar Khan, said a jirga has been called to settle the matter.

In another incident, a young man was gunned down by unidentified attackers in Ghundai, Jamrud, on Thursday night. Asif Ali was a hawker and sitting near his house when he was shot. A political administration official said a case had been registered and further investigation is under way.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 29^th, 2014.