No clue to whereabouts of journalist abducted in North Waziristan
By: Mushtaq Yusufzai
PESHAWAR: There was no information about whereabouts of a senior tribal journalist Rahmatullah Khan Darpakhel kidnapped by armed men from Miramshah bazaar on Thursday. Also, in a separate incident a group of armed men with their faces covered Friday kidnapped staff member of National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) from Miramshah.
The Tribal Union of Journalists (TUJ) North Waziristan chapter on Friday staged a protest demonstration outside the Miramshah Press Club against his kidnapping while the political administration of North Waziristan issued notices to the three tribes Miramshah, Borakhel and Darpakhel under territorial responsibility act of the Frontier Crimes Regulation (FCR) and directed them to locate the journalist.
Journalist Rahmatullah Darpakhel enjoyed good reputation in the tribal region and never received any threat from any side of the conflict for his journalistic work. On Thursday, he along with other tribal journalists left the Miramshah Press Club and before going he went to a nearby vegetable market for making some shopping when a group of armed men with their faces covered arrived there in two cars with tinted glasses. They blind folded the tribal journalist and bundled him in one of the car and drove towards unknown location.
After throwing him in a car, the armed men fired shots in the air from their AK-47 assault rifles and disappeared. The kidnapping of senior journalist like Rahmatullah has sent a wave of shock and concern among his fellow tribal colleagues based in the volatile tribal region.
Since his kidnapping, the tribal journalists have been approaching each and every member of militant organizations in North Waziristan if they had Rahmatullah in their custody, but in vain. Local Taliban led by Hafiz Gul Bahadur through their spokesman Ahmadullah Ahmadi had already condoned kidnapping of the journalist, and also distanced themselves with the incident.
The Taliban have assured the journalists of their complete help in locating and safe recovery of Rahmatullah. On Friday, a group of journalists again approached Ahmadullah and held a meeting with members of the local Taliban but there was no development in locating whereabouts of the kidnapped reporter.
Source: The News
Date:8/13/2011
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