BANNU: A man and his son belonging to Hathikhel tribe were allegedly abducted by suspected terrorists here on Monday.

Police and locals said that Ahya Jan and his son, Laig were traveling in a car along with women family members to visit their relatives in the area when unidentified armed men intercepted them near Jhandokhel in Domel area, disembarked them from the vehicle and shifted them to an unknown location.

After the reports of the incident the people of Hathikhel tribe took weapons and came out onto the roads.

A tribal leader, Malik Tawani, on this occasion threatened that if the kidnappers did not set the man and his son free forthwith, they would face dire consequences.

He said that women held great honour and respect in tribal traditions, however, in this incident, tribal values were violated by the abductors while taking away a man and his son from a vehicle, leaving their women behind.

He made it clear that if safe recovery of the abductees was not ensured, then militant hideouts would not be spared in the area.

It is worth mentioning that Hathikhel tribe had earlier launched a campaign against militants and expelled them from the area, which has kept tensions high between local tribes and militants.

The abduction of two has further aggravated the already fragile situation in the area.

Published in Dawn, January 6th, 2026