Peshawar: At least 16 labourers working on a uranium and plutonium mining site in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province were abducted by unknown armed men on Thursday, news agency PTI sources said. The labourers were abducted from a vehicle en route to the Atomic Energy Mine Project site in Lakki Marwat district. Later, the abductors set the vehicle on fire in the Qabal Khel area. The gunmen shifted the labourers to an undisclosed location.
No group claimed responsibility for the abduction. The banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) is active in the area and has been blamed for such abductions in the past. The TTP, set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007, is believed to be close to al-Qaeda. The group has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan.
Pakistan mass abduction case jumps
This incident highlights the deteriorating security situation in the region. In July last year, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Home Department issued a travel advisory for government officials and employees in the Bannu Division, warning of increased risks due to heightened terrorist activities.
The advisory noted a surge in targeted attacks on law enforcement personnel, abductions, and assassinations, particularly in areas such as Tank, Dera Ismail Khan, Lakki Marwat, and Bannu.
In late August, three employees of the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) were abducted from Baka Khel in Bannu.
In November, seven police officers were abducted from Bannu but were safely recovered a few days later. The recent abduction has raised alarms over the safety of government employees and the need for heightened security measures in the region.
3 Hindu youths kidnapped in Rahim Yar Khan district
Earlier on Wednesday, Outlaws in Pakistan's Punjab province kidnapped three Hindus and demanded police release their accomplices or they would kill the members of the minority community. Police said on Thursday that the kidnapping took place in the Bhong area of Rahim Yar Khan district of Punjab province, some 400 km southwest of Lahore, on Wednesday.
The three Hindu youths -- Shaman, Shameer and Sajan -- were present near Chowk Sawetra Basic Health Unit (BHU) in Bhong when five armed dacoits held them up at gunpoint and took them to Katcha (riverine belt) area. Later outlaws' ring leader Ashiq Korai released a video message addressing police officer of Ahmedpur Lama police station Rana Ramzan warning him to release his (Korai) 10 family members otherwise they “will not only kill the kidnapped Hindu youths but also attack the police.”
The young Hindus were seen in the video in chains appealing to the authorities for their release. Last year, some 12 policemen were killed and seven injured in an attack on two police vehicles by dacoits in the Kacha area of Rahim Yar Khan district.
(With inputs from agency)
