Homecoming: Kidnapped teacher released after two months

The case is one of several recent kidnappings of Kurram Agency tribesman.

PARACHINAR: A school teacher who was kidnapped from Peshawar two months ago finally made it back to his hometown in Parachinar, Kurram Agency on Monday.

An official of the political administration said Muntazir Hussain, a teacher at Balyamina Government High School for Boys, was visiting Peshawar on February 3 when men abducted him from Afridi Garhi and demanded Rs30 million for his release.

On condition of anonymity, the official disclosed that Hussain was released in Khyber Bazaar area of Peshawar.

Hussain’s case is not the first incident in which tribesmen from upper parts of the agency were kidnapped for ransom. On March 14, two tribesmen of central Kurram were kidnapped by men in Daradarh area of Lower Kurram. On February 22, Sadif Hussain Tori, a government employee at Veterinary Hospital in Alizai area of Lower Kurram, was on his way home from work when a group of men allegedly kidnapped him for ransom.

Tribal elders from the agency expressed their concerns about the kidnapping and a jirga was convened on February 22, in which the tribesmen demanded the government take action against the criminals behind the kidnappings.

Another tribesman, Ramzan Tori, was kidnapped from Bagan area of the agency in January 2014 and was released when the family paid Rs1.5 million in ransom.

Around 70 cases of kidnapping for ransom were recorded in Peshawar last year. The real figure is believed to be much higher, as many cases are not registered.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2014.