LANDI KOTAL, March 29: A group of Sultankhel tribesmen on Saturday hijacked a Jalalabad-bound bus with 47 passengers on board for a second time in three days to press the Afghan government to release their seven fellow tribesmen.

The Pakistan-Afghan Friendship bus was later released by the hijackers after intervention by officials of the political administration and Zakhakhel elders.

Forty-seven passengers, including 12 women and children, were held captive for nearly three hours. Afghan officials in the Nangarhar province had arrested seven Sultankhel tribesmen a month and a half ago.

The tribesmen were recruited by a private transporting firm for providing security to containers transporting aid and relief goods to the Afghan government and Allied forces.

The issue of the arrested tribesmen surfaced on Wednesday when another bus was hijacked.

The local administration had then directed the Fauji Transport company to secure the release of arrested tribesmen as they were recruited by them.

However, the firm failed to secure the release in the stipulated three days’ time and the tribesmen hijacked another bus.

The Ittehad Transport Company, which operates the friendship bus, accused the local political administration of failure to provide security to the service.

ITC manager Mohammad Nasir said the local administration had also failed to take action against the tribesmen involved in two incidents of taking innocent passengers as hostage. He said that such incidents would jeopardize the already fragile relationship between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

Meanwhile, it was learnt from official quarters that the local administration is contemplating a crackdown against the Sultankhel tribesmen. “We are awaiting a go-ahead order from high-ups,” said an official of the political administration. The official said that they were also in touch with Afghan Consulate officials in Peshawar regarding the release of Sultankhel tribesmen.