PESHAWAR, Feb 22: An Afghan refugee has urged NWFP Governor Syed Iftikhar Hussain Shah to issue orders for immediate recovery of his brother kidnapped in the Mohmand Agency on Jan 30.

Sulemankhel, the refugee, told a news conference on Tuesday that his brother, Abdullah, was returning to Peshawar from the Mohmand Agency when he was kidnapped. He said the kidnappers had been demanding Rs4 million ransom to release his brother which he was unable to pay. Sulemankhel alleged that Ihsanullah, a resident of Ziarat Killey in the Mohmand Agency, had kidnapped his brother.

He said they had sent a jirga to the kidnappers through a friend in the Mohmand Agency, but the assistant political agent intervened as he wanted to resolve the issue himself.

He said they had approached the Afghan government, which wrote a letter to Pakistan's interior ministry. Subsequently, he said, the NWFP home department asked the political administration to ensure the release of his brother.

Shlemankhel warned that if his brother was not released immediately, they would kidnap the Pakistani tribesmen who were in Afghanistan in connection with their businesses.