February 02, 2008	Saturday	Muharram 23, 1429

HARIPUR, Feb 1: The unknown captors released a professor here on Friday, who was kidnapped some 22 days ago from the jurisdiction of Kotnajibullah police station.

According to sources in the family, Sardar Mohammad Iftikhar, a professor of history at the Government Postgraduate College Haripur, was kidnapped by five kidnappers from his farmhouse at village Nawab Abad Daidan.

The sources said that kidnappers kept Prof Iftikhar at some deserted place in Bajaur Agency of the tribal area from where his family members secured his release involving some tribal elders.

His family claimed that he was released without the support of the police and payment of ransom.

However, area SHO Mursaleen Khan told Dawn that the local police had played their role in the release. “The police had traced the phone numbers through which the professor and his captors contacted his family,” he claimed.

The local police had not registered any case of kidnapping on the request of his family.

It may be recalled that three persons were kidnapped from Haripur last month, who were reportedly released after paying huge amounts of ransom.

Meanwhile, the Sarhad College Teachers Association (SCTA) has announced withdrawal of its call for complete boycott of classes after release of the professor.