February 27, 2003	Thursday	Zul Hijjah 25, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 26: Three tribal MNAs invited by NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain at the Governor’s House were picked up by some secret agents and later freed on Tuesday evening, MMA leader Liaqat Baloch said.

But one of them, Maulana Abdul Malik, was unable to reach Islamabad while two others attended the National Assembly proceedings of Wednesday, he said.

Three of the six tribal MNAs, after meeting with the NWFP governor on his invitation, were whisked away from outside the Governor’s House, MMA Deputy Secretary-General Liaqat Baloch told Dawn at National Assembly on Wednesday.

When the incident was reported to NWFP Chief Minister Akram Durrani, Mr Baloch said Mr Durrani sent a message to the governor that he was going to register an FIR of abduction, following which the MNAs were set free.

Maulana Mohammad Abdus Sadiq, one of the three tribal MNAs who voted for Jamali, told this reporter that they were taken to an unknown place for sometime during which they were intimidated and threatened if they not voted for the official candidates in Senate polls.

Mr Baloch told that except for MNA Maulana Haroon-ur-Rashid, six others including Maulana Abdul Malik, Maulana Khalilur Rahman and Maulana Ghulam Mohammad Sadiq had gone to the Governor’s House.