SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: The president of the Waziristan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (WCCI) and two Customs officers were abducted in a high-profile kidnapping in South Waziristan on Thursday.

WCCI President Saifur Rehman, Customs Sup­erintendent Nisar Abbasi and Inspector Khushal were returning from the Customs office at the Angoor Adda border cross­­ing with Afghanistan when they were kidnapped, acc­ording to Deputy Commi­­ssioner Nasir Khan.

The kidnappers stopped their vehicle and forcibly took them to an unknown location.

The district administration and police have laun­ched an immediate investigation. However, an FIR is yet to be registered.

The whereabouts of the three men remained unknown till the filing of this report. The local business community has expressed serious concern over the abduction.

The Wana Trade Union and the WCCI have stron­gly condemned the abduction. They demanded that the government and security agencies take immediate action to recover the three men.

The traders have also claimed that such incidents severely affected the business environment and threatened to take to the streets in protest if the government failed to improve the law and order situation.

Locals have urged security forces to take strict measures to prevent such incidents and restore the confidence of the business community and citizens.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2025