PESHAWAR: Prof Dr Ajmal Khan is a respectable educationist and apolitical person who should be freed by Taliban on purely humanitarian grounds without attaching any conditions or his family members, friends and politicians of Charsadda should be directly contacted.
This was stated by Family members, friends, well-wishers of Dr Ajmal and prominent political figures from Charsadda at a jirga held at Marhwand, a small native town of Dr Ajmal Khan, on Tuesday to express solidarity with the kidnapped VC of Ismia College University.
They appealed to the Taliban group, which holds him, to free him as had nothing to do with politics. A committee of prominent elders of the area was formed that would meet Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Awais Ahmad Ghani to seek his help for the safe return of Dr Ajmal. The family members informed the jirga that they had already met him five times and told that efforts were underway but to no avail.
“The jirga urged the Taliban group to free him or extend the deadline of November 20 or directly contact the committee. We also expect the government would take steps for Dr Ajmal’s safe recovery,” some insiders said.
Ibrahim Khan, spokesman for the Khwazi Khel tribe of Utmanzai Charsadda, told Pakistan Today that they were very much concerned over the kidnapping of Dr Ajmal and decided to hold a jirga by inviting the elders of other tribes of Hashtanagar, politicians from all the political parties and lawyers to make joint efforts for Dr Ajmal’s safe return.
They also appealed to Taliban to release him on humanitarian grounds. Former federal minister Nisar Muhammad Khan, former provincial minister Alhaj Hashim Khan, Major (retd) Naeem Jan, Major (retd) Tariq Bacha, ex-Naib District Nazim Charsadda Farman Khan, brother of Prof Ajmal Khan, Dr Shehryar Khan, District Bar Association Charsadda President Janu Khan, grandsons of Pashto poet Ghani Khan, Mashaal Khan and Bahram Khan, and other elders attended the jirga.
The Committee will hold talks with the KP government and ask for stepping up efforts in this respect. The jirga also resolved that if the government failed to make Dr Ajmal’s safe return, they would launch a protest movement for this purpose.
Peshawar University Teachers Association (PUTA) President Prof Jauhar Ali Khan told Pakistan Today that they had already started their protest and were boycotting the classes. “We are not aware of the government’s efforts or any of the demands the captors. As a community we are showing solidarity with our kidnapped VC,” he stated.
Jirga seeks safe return for Dr Ajmal
