CTD Registers Terrorism Case Against TTP Over Abduction of 17 in Dera Ismail Khan

The Counter Terrorism Department has registered a formal terrorism case against Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan militants over the Dera Ismail Khan abduction of 17 mill and project workers from the Indus Highway, police confirmed on Friday.

The case was lodged at the CTD office in Dera Ismail Khan on the complaint of Station House Officer Azeem Wazir of Proa police station. It names the TTP militants accused of seizing the workers during the night between Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Dera Ismail Khan abduction: what happened on the Indus Highway

Armed men set up an illegal checkpoint on the Indus Highway, the main road linking Dera Ismail Khan with Sahiwal. They stopped a passenger bus and a vehicle belonging to Chashma Sugar Mills.

The militants ordered eight sugar mill workers out of the vehicle. Police identified them as Shahzad, Irshad, Kashif, Shafqat, Arsalan, Alamdar, Shabbir and Majid. The men were forced into the attackers’ pickup trucks and taken to an unknown location. The attackers also used several motorcycles during the operation.

The driver of the mill vehicle, Samar Jan, recorded his statement with police. He said the armed men also took employees working at a fuel plant and other development projects in the area. Police listed nine more abductees: Rahmatullah, Akram, Wahidullah, Muhammad Bilal, Muhammad Numan, Abdul Rashid, Muhammad Iftikhar and Jaleel. In total, the FIR counts 17 people taken.

Dawn reported that the incident happened near Cheera Minor in the Proa area at about 1am. Between 15 and 20 armed men set up the roadblock and stopped a bus carrying employees returning from the night shift. The attackers checked the passengers’ identity cards before taking the men away. Most of those abducted were reportedly security staff.

The charges in the CTD case

The FIR cites Section 365 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which covers kidnapping or abduction with intent to secretly and wrongfully confine a person. It also cites Section 148, on rioting armed with a deadly weapon, and Section 149, which holds every member of an unlawful assembly responsible for offences committed in pursuit of a common object.

Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act has also been invoked, along with other relevant provisions. Police sources said teams are examining every aspect of the incident under the nominated sections of law.

Protests and the search operation

The abduction has shaken the area. Relatives of the missing workers blocked the Indus Highway at Chowdhwan Morr to demand immediate recovery. Earlier, residents staged a protest at Paroa Adda and blocked the highway with the same demand. Long queues of vehicles formed on both sides of the road.

Police say an operation is underway to recover the abducted men, and several teams have been formed for the search. Army contingents have also been dispatched from Dera Ismail Khan to assist the police.

This is not the first recent abduction of its kind. Feature Pakistan reported last week on the abduction of 20 police trainees travelling from Kalat to Nushki in Balochistan. The incident has also fed the wider counterterrorism debate in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where federal and provincial leaders have clashed over the provincial government’s counterterrorism approach. In Swabi, a provincial lawmaker’s brother and guards were seized in a separate recent incident.

Five passengers taken from a coach during the same operation were later freed, The Express Tribune reported. Dawn reported that early information linked the abduction to an extortion dispute, though police have not confirmed a motive.

Frequently asked questions

How many people were taken in the Dera Ismail Khan abduction?

The CTD’s FIR counts 17 people: eight Chashma Sugar Mills workers and nine employees of a fuel plant and other development projects. Five passengers taken from a coach were later released.

Where did the incident happen?

On the Indus Highway near Cheera Minor in the Proa area of Dera Ismail Khan district, within the jurisdiction of Paroa police station.

What charges have been filed?

Sections 365, 148 and 149 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act, registered at the CTD Dera office against TTP militants.

What is being done to recover the workers?

Police have formed several teams and an operation is underway. Army contingents have been dispatched from Dera Ismail Khan to assist.

Sources: The Express Tribune, Dawn