KHAR: A health official, who was kidnapped in Bajaur tribal district some five months ago, reached home after having been recovered from Afghanistan.

Police and health officials told Dawn here on Friday that Abdul Jabbar Khan, a senior medical technician at the Hilal Khel Charmang rural health centre, reached Bajaur on Friday, a day after the Counter-Terrorism Department, Malakand region, had announced that the kidnapped official had safely been recovered from Afghanistan.

According a CTD statement on Thursday evening, the kidnapped health official was recovered following the joint efforts of police and security agencies.

However, the statement did not mention when and from which area/province of Afghanistan the kidnapped health official was recovered. It stated that the official was shifted to Afghanistan by unknown kidnappers for patients’ examination/treatment several months ago.

District police officer Pir Shahab Ali Shah also confirmed the recovery of the kidnapped official.

Meanwhile, district health officer Dr Wazir Khan Safi on Friday said he was not aware about the recovery the kidnapped technician.

“I only got to know about Jabbar’s recovery through social media,” he said.

According to the health and police officials, Jabbar Khan was also the focal person for the anti-polio programme in the region.

Published in Dawn, February 15th, 2020