ISLAMABAD: Islamist militants yesterday freed eight of 29 kidnapped government officials in northwestern Pakistan after mediation by tribesmen. Pro-Taleban militants released the hostages in the Hangu town of the northwest region as a goodwill gesture to the Jirga (tribal elders’ delegation) headed by Mufti Syed Janan who is also negotiating peace between the government and militants.
A senior divisional officer, Khan Mir Shah, and two other employees from the Peshawar Electricity Supply Company are among those who were released yesterday by the militants. Others include a police constable and two bank officials.
“Taleban have released eight government officials as a goodwill gesture after a Jirga held talks with them in Orakzai tribal district,” Maulana Hussain Asghar told reporters. Orakzai, one of Pakistan’s semi-autonomous tribal regions bordering Afghanistan, adjoins Hangu. Those released belong to the police, banking, telephone and electricity supply departments, Asghar said. There was no word on the remaining hostages. Asghar was among the 30-member peace committee that held talks with the militants.
These eight hostages were held along with the many others Taleban militants captured two weeks ago. Syed Janan told reporters that a 30-member peace Jirga reached Hangu after holding talks with local Taleban.
The release of the prisoners came two days after the military ended an operation in and around Hangu. The crackdown was launched after militants killed at least 15 paramilitary troops in an ambush and kidnapped nearly 50 soldiers and government officials to press for the release of their comrades. One government official was freed on Wednesday.
Syed Janan said efforts were under way to secure the release of the other hostages. “The militants are demanding release of at least three of their men including, Rafi Uddin,” he said.
Rafi Uddin is a deputy of Pakistani Taleban chief Baitullah Mehsud, who is accused of being behind a wave of suicide attacks across the country over the past year, including the one that killed former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in December. Mehsud has denied involvement in Bhutto’s killing. Based in the restive semi-autonomous tribal region of South Waziristan, Mehsud is known to have strong links to Al-Qaeda fighters hiding on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
At least 20 militants and 16 troops were killed in the weeklong fighting, chief military spokesman Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas said. Rehman Malik, a top Interior Ministry official, told journalists yesterday that a purported Al-Qaeda member, identified only as Amjad, was among the dozens of insurgents arrested during the operation.
Militants blew up a girls’ school early yesterday, and also damaged some 10 shops with explosives in the restive Swat Valley, where the government signed a peace deal last month to end months of violence. Led by pro-Taleban leader Fazlullah, militants have destroyed several girls’ schools in the valley in recent months as they deem women’s education un-Islamic.
Police official Farman Khan says the attacks happened before dawn yesterday in two separate areas of Swat. There were no casualties. Authorities in May signed a peace deal with militants in Swat, ending months-long military operations against them.
The militants promised to halt attacks against security forces. Violence has significantly decreased in Swat since then, but militants have returned from the mountains and reasserted their influence over parts of the valley and resumed attacks.
— With input from agencies
