KOHAT: The 13 coal miners who were kidnapped from Darra Adam Khel were freed from captivity by the administration from Kashangarh area of the defunct frontier region of Peshawar on Monday.

An official told Dawn that after learning about the kidnapping on Sunday night, the administration constituted a team to make efforts for their recovery. “The team went to the FR area and found the miners sitting on a roadside,” the official said.

Meanwhile, the administration of Darra Adam Khel arrested five mine owners on Monday for “creating a law and order situation”.

Azam Khan, the government official, said the suspects were forcibly digging the mines of other owners. “Despite repeated warnings, they did not relent, forcing the administration to lock them up.”

Our Shangla correspondent adds: Awami National Party MPA Faisal Zeb said the miners’ kidnapping was not the first of its kind, calling upon the administration to step up security for workers from Shangla working in other parts of the province.

He recalled that 16 coal miners abducted in 2011 were still missing while a young worker was killed a few days ago.

Mr Zeb said he had taken up the matter on the floor of the provincial assembly. The law minister “assured me that a meeting will take up the matter on Jan 10”.

He warned that the workers would take to the street if security was not provided to miners hailing from Shangla district.

Published in Dawn, January 8th, 2019