The parents of the kidnapped employees of Balochistan Rural Support Program (BRSP), Thursday, have launched a campaign of collecting alms and donations from the public for the ransom money.
The parents of the four kidnappers set up a camp at main Bacha Khan (Meezan) Chowk, the central part of the city for collecting money by pinning up the expectations on the public for receiving enough money to pay over Rs 220 million (2.5 million US dollars) as ransom to the captors against the release of five BRSP employees and the dead body of the 6th one.
Six low paid BRSP workers have been kidnapped by probable activists of Tehrik-e-Taliban, Pakistan, on December 13 last year from northern district of Pishin. However one of them, Maqbol Ahmad, had been executed last February to pressurize the government, BRSP and families to pay the amount. The dead body of Maqbol was yet to be handed over to the family by the kidnapers who also demanded money for sending the body.
Sultan Ahmad, the father of Aftab Ahmad, one of the kidnapped, told reporters in the camp that after disappointment from government and the NGO his son worked for, the families decided to launch a drive for money collection for the ransom money. He said that he knew that it was difficult for them to receive a heavy amount from the public but he hoped that the captors would lower the ransom amount. He said that it was the only option available for them that they could avail for the release of their beloved ones. He confirmed that the captors who had been contacting the families as well as BRSP’s senior officials on telephone demanded 2.5 million US dollars for the release of these five people.
Mohammad Din, the father of Maqbol Ahmad, who was killed by the captors was also sitting in the camp along with the other affected families. He, who is in his early 60s, hopes that the dead body of his son might be dispatched if his colleagues were set free. He said that the captors also demanded money in millions for the dead body which the family was unable to pay.
Nadir Gul, the head of BRSP said that in the wake of the kidnapping incident last year, the organization was compelled to dismiss around 108 employees which are around 90% of the total strength and closed down most of the schemes. He said that it was all under compulsion because of withdrawal of donations and aid for development activities by the foreign donors. He said that the captors demanded 2.5 million dollars and the organization was not able to pay such a colossal amount.
