Kidnapping and Kidnappers

Haling from Peshawar and deeply concerned with the ever increasing cases of kidnappings there, it was quite reassuring to read the headlines "Operation against kidnappers resumed" on page 4 of "The News" of 27 January 2009. The report said that the city police had recovered two abductees for whom the accused Hashim had demanded 20 millions in ransom. The police had also razed the kidnapper's house in Khazana and were to resume the operation when it was suspended on orders from higher-ups! Higher-ups who? Some time back a senior police official confided in me that the SIM of a mobile phone recovered from a kidnapper showed that about 20 "“ yes sir - 20 calls had been made from it to an ex minister of the NWFP in a matter of two days when the negotiations for ransom money were being conducted for the release of a kidnapped wealthy person. Hope the high-ups in the present case are not of the same category.

Truly

Col. Riaz Jafri (Retd)

30, Westridge-1

Rawalpindi 46000

Tel: 546 3344