In a deeply alarming development, two officials of the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) were abducted along with their official vehicle by unidentified armed men in the Baka Khel area of Bannu on Monday, highlighting a growing security crisis in the region. The abductees have been identified as Qismatullah, a plumber, and Muhammad Asif, an electrician both deployed at the Temporary Displaced Persons (TDP) camp in Baka Khel. According to police sources, the officials were performing their routine duties when they were intercepted and forcibly taken away by unknown assailants.
Law enforcement agencies have launched a full-scale investigation and search operation to secure the safe recovery of the abducted staff. “We are utilizing all available resources and intelligence networks to trace and recover the missing officials,” a senior police officer told reporters.
This latest incident has further heightened fears among humanitarian workers and government personnel, as it comes on the heels of another brazen abduction in the same area. Just days earlier, six drivers employed by a petroleum company, along with three vehicles, were kidnapped, with the captors demanding a ransom of Rs50 million.
The back-to-back incidents have sparked serious questions over the deteriorating law and order situation in Baka Khel a zone considered highly sensitive due to its proximity to tribal regions and the presence of thousands of displaced families.
Officials and security experts are calling for an urgent and comprehensive crackdown on militant and criminal networks believed to be operating with impunity in the region. The safety of government staff, humanitarian workers, and civilians hangs in the balance as authorities scramble to reassert control.
