LAKKI MARWAT, June 25: Elders of the Marwat Qaumi Jirga (MQJ) have asked the local Taliban to take action against kidnappers and criminals in the district. PML-N’s provincial general-secretary Kamal Khan Marwat represented the MQJ and held talks with the local Taliban in Mamashkhel on Sunday evening and apprised them of the increasing cases of kidnapping and other crimes in the area.

A tribal elder said they had urged the Taliban to take action because the locals believed that the criminals were enjoying support of the militant groups.

Taliban played an active role in releasing kidnapped persons in the district, he said and asked them to use their influence for the recovery of a local official.

During talks, which lasted for more than two hours, the local Taliban informed Marwat elders that a committee comprising representatives of various militant outfits had been constituted to take action against such anti-social elements.

The militants called on the elders of the Marwat tribe to act against indecency and immoral activities in the area and warned that they would take action on their own if they didn’t comply, they said.