Pakistan has asked Afghan President Hamid Karzai to help the country release 30 young tribesmen who were abducted by militants from Pakistan’s northwestern Bajaur tribal region on Thursday while they were on an outing in Afghanistan’s border province of Kunar on Eid, a Voice of America (VoA) report said on Sunday.
The Pakistani Taliban, many of whom have fled into Afghanistan in the face of Pakistan military offensives in Bajaur, claimed responsibility for the kidnappings as punishment against the Mamoun tribe for supporting the military. Pakistani tribal elders are holding talks with Taliban militants in Afghanistan for release of the young tribesmen. “A tribal jirga (council) from Bajaur is currently holding talks with the terrorists,” Pakistan military spokesman Major-General Athar Abbas said. “The future course of action will be decided by tribal elders from both sides of the border,” he added. Pakistani government officials had initially said around 60 boys from the ethnic Pashtun Mamoun tribe took part in the outing. But about 20 children under ten years of age were allowed to return to Pakistan, while up to 40 others between 12 to 14 years of age were held. Abbas said 40 young tribesmen had been abducted but 10 boys were released while 30 were still in custody. Under centuries-old tribal customs, tribesmen living along the frontier can freely move across the border.
Taliban spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan said they had planned mass kidnappings and expected people in large numbers to visit the border region on Eidul-Fitr, marking the end of the fasting month of Ramadan. Sultan Zeb, a tribal elder in Bajaur, said militants loyal to Maulvi Faqir Mohammad, the top Taliban commander in Bajaur who Pakistani authorities said had also fled to Afghanistan, were involved in the kidnapping. “We have established contact with the Taliban through their relatives and friends and we hope they will release the abducted people very soon. The kidnappers have not demanded ransom for the release,” he said.
The Mamoun tribe is opposed to ALQaeda and Taliban and has raised militias to fight them, angering militants who often hit back with bombings and shooting attacks. Meanwhile, Tehrik-e-Taliban (TTP) Naib Ameer Maulvi Fakhir announced that only Shoora (religious parliament) would decide fate of the abducted children. Fakhir, however, said he would use his influence to secure the release of these children, and despite the fact that it would take some time, an amicable solution which would resolve political differences between the masses and Taliban would be evolved. He also stressed that masses should act prudently and should avoid forming committees on official directives.
