Left with no option: Families of slain traders threaten to block motorway

As many as 11 honey traders were picked up by militants around a year ago, one of them killed

CHARSADDA:

Families of abducted traders, allegedly slain by militants in Afghanistan, have threatened to block the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway, starting Monday.

As many as 11 honey traders were picked up by militants around a year ago. One of them was earlier killed while two were set free. Subsequently, five of the unfortunate abductees were assassinated on April 8 while three are still in custody of the Afghan Taliban.

At least 42 members of the bereaved families, led by Farmanullah, addressed a press conference in Charsadda on Saturday. Talking on the occasion, Farmanullah said over a month has gone by since the five kidnapped persons were killed and the government has said nothing over the issue. “They didn’t condemn it or make any assurances regarding the safe recovery of the remaining two,” he added.

Answering a question, Farmanullah said he met Taliban commander Abdul Wali alias Umar Khitab twice, who demanded a ransom of Rs80 million. “We cannot afford to pay that much money,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 24^th, 2015.