Brother of K-P MPA and three guards kidnapped in Swabi night raid
The Swabi kidnapping of an MPA’s brother in the early hours of Wednesday has triggered sharp claims and counterclaims, with the family blaming the federal government and linking the incident to the PTI’s march on Islamabad.
Masked men arrived in separate vehicles between 2am and 3am at the residence in Tordher village, Chota Lahor tehsil. The house belongs to the family of MPA Abdul Karim Tordher, a former adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on industry. Police had not commented on the incident at the time of reporting.
Swabi kidnapping: what the family claims
According to the family, the intruders opened fire on vehicles as they left, leaving four cars badly damaged. They stood outside Abdul Karim’s room and said they had come to take him away, but he was not at home.
The guards, Bacha Khan, Ghani Rehman and Sardar Ali, were tortured for resisting and then taken. Abdul Karim’s brother, Abdul Nasir, was also tortured and abducted.
The family said the men damaged the CCTV cameras and took away the DVR, removing the only record of the raid.
The family blamed the federal government for the incident, saying its aim was to intimidate the PTI leadership and cripple the party’s march on Islamabad. It demanded a transparent investigation into the raid.
The timing added to the family’s claims. The raid took place two days before the PTI caravan was due to reach Khairabad Bridge on the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa-Punjab boundary, with march preparations in full swing across the district.
Asad Qaiser’s response
PTI leaders and workers gathered at the house after the incident. Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser condemned the “attack”, saying the sanctity of the home had been violated and women and children harassed.
The country could not be run “like a jungle or a banana republic”, Qaiser said, insisting that the Constitution and the rule of law must prevail.
He questioned the governor’s constitutional authority to convene security meetings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and asked whether governor’s rule or an emergency had been imposed in the province.
Qaiser also said Bilawal Bhutto Zardari and the PPP could not disown responsibility as partners in the federal government.
He said peace in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was the priority, but asked whether more than 22 military operations had actually established it. He called for a political, constitutional and sustainable approach to the province’s problems.
What happens next
The family wants a transparent investigation, while the police have yet to issue a statement. With the PTI caravan approaching Khairabad Bridge, the incident is set to feed into an already tense political confrontation between the province and the centre.
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FAQs
Who was kidnapped in Swabi?
Abdul Nasir, the brother of MPA Abdul Karim Tordher, along with three guards, Bacha Khan, Ghani Rehman and Sardar Ali, was taken from the family residence in Tordher village in the early hours of Wednesday.
What does the family allege?
The family blames the federal government, saying the aim was to intimidate the PTI leadership and cripple the party’s march on Islamabad, and has demanded a transparent investigation.
What did Asad Qaiser say?
He condemned the “attack”, said the country could not be run “like a jungle or a banana republic”, and questioned the governor’s constitutional authority to convene security meetings in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
