GILGIT: Two officials of the Water and Power Development Authority (Wapda) were allegedly abducted from the Thore area in Chilas, Diamer district, near the Diamer-Bhasha Dam construction site.

According to official sources, the abducted officials, both from Punjab, were working on the Diamer-Bhasha Dam project.

Police said that on Saturday, their off-day, the officials went to the Gabar area of Thore to buy walnuts, accompanied by six local colleagues. Upon reaching the area, they were intercepted and abducted by militants, who took them into the nearby mountainous region.

An official, requesting anonymity, told Dawn that the area was a known haven for militants.

In August, two Gilgit-Baltistan Scouts personnel were martyred and another injured when terrorists opened fire on a checkpoint along the Karakoram Highway (KKH) near Thore.

The official said that local religious leaders had been engaged to negotiate with the abductors for the safe release of the officials.

So far, three rounds of talks have been held, though the militants have made certain demands, which the source declined to disclose.

Jirga held

Meanwhile, local residents of the Thore valley, where the two men resided, held a jirga on Sunday to condemn the abduction and demand strong action against the militants. A large number of people participated in the gathering, which unanimously passed a resolution declaring that the abduction had nothing to do with the people of Thore.

The resolution stated that the incident was an individual act, strongly condemned by the local community. It urged the government and administration not to harass innocent residents, but to arrest those involved and punish them according to the law.

“The government should take strict action against these terrorists so that no one dares to commit such an act in the future,” the resolution said.

It further clarified that the terrorists involved in the abduction have no connection with the people of Thore.

Published in Dawn, October 27th, 2025