UPPER DIR, Sept 9: Three of the 10 labourers, kidnapped by Taliban from Chitral district few weeks ago, have been killed, sources say.

The labourers, belonging to Doog Darra area of Upper Dir, were working at a forest in Cholgah area of Chitral when Taliban kidnapped them.

Sources said that they had been shifted to Nuristan province of Afghanistan. They added that a jirga of local elders visited Noristan to negotiate the release of 10 kidnapped persons but Taliban refused to set them free. Instead they said that all residents of Doog Darra were their enemies.

A spokesman for Pakistan Tehrik-i-Taliban also told journalists that they had killed three of the kidnapped labourers. The killed hostages were identified as Mohammad Rasul, Misal Khan and Khoedad.

Police said that they had received information about the presence of three bodies in the Ghambeer Gul area near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Arandu area of Chitral district. However, police did not confirm that the bodies were of the kidnapped persons.

The residents of the area said that people were reluctant to form a jirga and negotiate with militants, hiding in Afghanistan, due to fear of being killed. But some people, believed to have familiarity with the militants, volunteered to forma jirga and visit Nuristan. The locals feared that tension might gripped the area once again as the family members of the kidnapped persons were frantically looking for the relatives of Taliban to capture them.

But the fugitive militants had clearly conveyed to the jirga that they would not be disturbed by any such move, sources added. “Those who are really our relatives or friends have come with us to Afghanistan. And those who have stayed back are our enemies,” a source quoted one of the Taliban member telling the jirga.

There were unconfirmed reports that families of the victims had succeeded in picking up some relatives of the militants.

SECURITY: The district police put in place a strict security plan on the eve of Eidul Fitr to thwart any terrorist activity, said District Police Officer Abdur Rauf.

He said that several checkpoints had been established at the entry and exit points where people were searched, questioned and their national identity cards were checked. He said militants had exploited situation in the aftermath of devastating floods and were carrying out attacks.

“To head off any such threat, we have taken these security measures for Eid,” he told Dawn . He said that policemen would be deployed at all Eidgahs and mosques.

He said that last Friday of Ramazan was also sensitive and police would be deployed at the mosques. “I have directed the station house officers of all police stations to beef up security within their respective jurisdictions,” he added. Mr Rauf said they had provided Eid package to the families of police personnel killed during duty in advance. He said they would not leave those families unaided or uncared for.