TTP releases video of abducted employees of Pak power company pleading for govt help

Peshawar, Sep 17 (PTI) The banned Pakistani Taliban terror outfit on Wednesday released a purported video of six employees of a power company, abducted last week, in which the captives were seen pleading with the government to secure their release as their lives are in danger, officials said.

The video, released from an undisclosed location, showed the hostages, including a driver, stating that they are being subjected to severe torture and that their lives are in grave danger.

The six employees of the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) was repairing electricity lines in Pir Dal Khel area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa's Bannu district on September 12 when Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) terrorists attacked and abducted the staff members along with their driver.

In the video, one of the captives said: “Our lives are in danger. The government should take steps to secure our release. We have been moved to an unknown location." The hostages also claimed that their captors were planning to kill them.

Spokesperson for PESCO Bannu Region Umer Ali Khan confirmed to PTI that the militants released the video.

Following the abduction, police and security forces launched a search operation in the area but no breakthrough has been reported so far.

A tribal elder of the area condemned the abduction, calling it a cowardly act that disrupted public service work and spread fear among the local population. Family members of the abducted employees have appealed to authorities to take urgent steps for their safe release.

Bannu is one of the most restive districts of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province where terrorists and militants are active against the security forces, police and government officials.

The TTP, set up as an umbrella group of several militant outfits in 2007, is believed to be close to al-Qaeda.

The group has been blamed for several deadly attacks across Pakistan, including an attack on army headquarters in 2009, assaults on military bases, and the 2008 bombing of the Marriott Hotel in Islamabad. PTI AYZ SCY SCY