DERA ISMAIL KHAN: The outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on Thursday released videos of two of three men, including a senior army officer, kidnapped from D.I. Khan the previous day.

The officer and his two brothers were kidnapped from a mosque in their native area, Mohalla Khadr Khel of Kalachi tehsil, when they were receiving people who had come to condole with them over their father’s demise.

The suspected militants forcefully took away the three brothers, one of whom worked for the Rawal­­pindi Cantonment Board and the other for Nadra.

In separate videos, two of the abducted men said they were “far away” from the “government-controlled areas”.

The two brothers were seen sitting in front of a black cloth, surrounded by gunmen whose faces were cropped.

“We are safe and far away from the government [controlled] areas and in the custody of the Taliban. We request the government and higher authorities to accept the Taliban’s demands as soon as possible to ensure our release,” said the two men.

They urged their relatives not to post anything about their kidnapping on social media.

There has been no official statement by the ISPR.

Reports suggest there were more people kidnapped along with the three brothers, but Dawn could not independently verify this information.

Published in Dawn, August 30th, 2024