Missing girls case: 26 girls handed over to Bajaur APA in Karachi

An APA will take the girls to Peshawar and then Khar, after which they will be handed over to their parents

KHAR: Twenty-six girls, who were being held hostage at a house in Karachi as part of an arrangement to settle a loan dispute between the house-owner and a madrassa teacher, were handed over to Bajaur’s assistant political agent (APA) on Friday ahead of their return.

The girls, who only spoke Pashto, were residents of Bajaur and were recovered from a house in the Liaquatabad area of Karachi. The provincial government had taken them into custody and were to hand them over to their respective guardians after conducting investigations, Express News reported on Wednesday.

The house-owner had allegedly taken a loan from the madrassa teacher and gave them to the madrassa upon failing to repay the money. According to initial reports, the girls had not been properly fed for the past two days.

The girls will be handed over to their parents in Bajaur after the APA takes them to Peshawar through an available flight, PA Bajaur Agency Yakhya Akhonzada said.

Akhonzada said that APA Nawagai will fly the 26 girls to Peshawar before taking them to Khar where they will be handed over to their parents. He added that the girls’ parents would not need to travel to Khar since the administration has arranged for their return.

Further, he explained that officials did not suspect foul play since the girls were sent to Karachi for educational purposes.