April 11, 2006	Tuesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 12, 1427

Please Visit our Sponsor (Ads open in separate window).

KHAR, April 10: Poppy growers kidnapped four law-enforcement personnel and a government contractor in the Bajaur Agency headquarters here on Monday, less than 24 hours after they had released members of a jirga taken hostage in the remote Barang area.

The kidnapping took place in the wake of reports that security forces were planning a fresh operation against poppy cultivation in Barang.

The contractor, Malik Gul Sher, was kidnapped on charges that he had received a big chunk of funds from the government for onward distribution among growers to persuade them to destroy the banned crop, sources said.

The kidnappers took the contractor and the four sepoys to an unknown place. Names of the sepoys could not be ascertained.

The sources said that the political administration had found it difficult to deploy security personnel and carry out the anti-poppy campaign in the area as the growers had taken up positions on hilltops.

Eyewitnesses said that the tribesmen had resisted the advance of the levy force and the Frontier Constabulary in the Aseel Targhao area of Barang.

The administration had constituted another jirga to secure the release of jirga members who were being held in a government school in the area.

After successful talks with the growers, the jirga was able to secure the release of the hostages, sources said.

The administration said that the anti-poppy campaign would be carried out at all costs and tribesmen in Barang were required to cooperate with security forces.

However, the growers said that as the yield was ready, they would never allow the administration to destroy the crop.

Meanwhile, MNA Sahibzada Haroonur Rashid has criticised the political administration for planning an operation in Barang.

In a statement here on Monday, he demanded that the operation be called off and resolved through talks with the people.