PESHAWAR, June 9: Police have not been able to locate woman councillor Razia Ajmal, who was kidnapped at gunpoint from Tank city on Wednesday.

Family members of the councillor have complained that police officials and administration in the South Waziristan Agency were ignoring their pleas to intensify efforts to find her and, instead, were trying to hush up the matter.

“We have talked to the political agent of the South Waziristan Agency, but he refused to help us, while the police have also declined to extend any help,” a family member told Dawn on phone from Tank.

Sources said that the affected family had also contacted militant groups in the South Waziristan Agency and Jandola and sought their assistance to get the councillor freed.

“One militant leader has expressed ignorance about the woman and her captors,” they said.

Five masked men had kidnapped Ms Ajmal at gunpoint when she, along with her driver, was on way back home after attending a workshop in Tank city.

Her driver Taib Khan was released in Tank Zam area, while the woman was shifted to some unknown location. The kidnapped woman is a lady health worker and also worked for Aurat Foundation as coordinator in the remote area.

The government had suspended assistant sub-inspector Ali Bahadur and deputy superintendent police Mohammad Khan for their negligence and FIR was registered against unknown people.

An official of the Tank police station said: “The police have nothing to say about the involvement of militants in the woman councillor’s kidnapping case, but the driver’s description of the kidnappers having long hair and thick beards pointed to their (militants) involvement.”

He said that investigations were underway and administration in the South Waziristan Agency and Jandola had been intimated to kick off search operation in their areas to find out whereabouts of the woman and the kidnappers.