War Stories: Taliban punish the family who helped escape an abducted Chinese engineer

Zhang Guo is back in China while Jamaluddin and Liaqat were killed by Taliban

Jamaluddin Khan - an unsung hero of Pakistan-China friendship

It was on October 17, 2008 that the two young Chinese engineers made their move to escape from Taliban’s custody. They reportedly sneaked out of the house where they were held during the night and ran for their life. Long Xiao We, 26-year-old and heavily-built, slipped during the escape and broke his leg. The mountainous terrain and the darkness made it difficult for them to find their way to safety. It is said Zhang Guo lost his colleague on the way after the latter’s fall and after a futile search decided to go it alone. The desperate engineer wanted to seek protection in some house in Chinglalai and the nearby Dagai village as he feared that the militants would soon learn about their escape and track them down. The Taliban managed to find Long Xiao We and made him hostage again but Zhang Guo was lucky to find a place to hide and regain freedom.

Rahimullah Yusufzai's detailed reports on this topic are available at:

http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/10/jamaluddin-khan-unsung-hero-of-pakistan.html

Video of kidnapped Chinese engineer who escaped from Taliban

Here is a most recent article on this issue reported by Abdul Haye Kakar of BBC Urdu.

چینی انجینئر کو پناہ دینے کی ’سزا‘

عبدالحئی کاکڑ

بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام، پشاور

پاکستان کے قبائلی علاقوں اور صوبہ سرحد میں پچھلے کئی سالوں سے جاری تشدد کی لہر نے نہ صرف لوگوں کے ذہنوں میں ملک کی ’سلامتی‘ کے بارے میں خدشات پیدا کیے ہیں بلکہ اس کی کوکھ سے جنم لینے والے المیے متاثرہ افراد کی زندگیوں کے ساتھ ہمیشہ کے لیے نتھی ہو چکے ہیں۔ طالبان اور سکیورٹی فورسز کے مابین لڑائی سے جنم لینے والے انسانی المیوں کے مختلف پہلووں کو صحافت کے تنگ دامن میں یا تو سرے سے جگہ ہی نہیں مل سکی اور اگر ملی بھی تو اس طرح نہیں جس طرح سے یہ واقعات رونما ہوئے اور یوں حقیقی کہانیاں صحافتی مقابلے کی دوڑ کے ملبے میں کہیں دفن ہوگئیں۔

پشاور میں بی بی سی کے نامہ نگار عبدالحئی کاکڑ جنگ زدہ افراد یا خاندانوں پر بیتی ہوئی انہی کہانیوں کی کھوج میں ہیں جنہیں بی بی سی اردو ڈاٹ کام ایک سیریز کی صورت میں شائع کر رہی ہے۔ اس سلسلے کی ساتویں کہانی

اکبر خان، چنگلائی، تحصیل مٹہ، سوات

رات کا وقت تھا کہ کتوں نے مسلسل بھونکنا شروع کردیا۔ میرے دو بھائی جب باہر نکلے تو انہوں نے ایک ایسے شخص کو دیکھا جن کی شکل ازبکوں اور چینیوں سے مشابہ تھی۔وہ شخص خوفزدہ اور تھکا ماندہ دکھائی دے رہا تھا۔ اسے چونکہ زبان نہیں آتی تھی تو وہ رو دھو کر اور ہاتھ جوڑ کر اندر آنے کی درخواست کرتا رہا۔

میرے بھائی اسے اندر لے گئے اور پتہ چلا کہ یہ تو مغوی چینی انجنیئر ہے جو طالبان کی قید سے فرار ہو کر یہاں پہنچا ہے۔ اب ہم ایک ایسے امتحان میں پڑ گئے جس سے نکلنے کے لیے کوئی راستہ بھی سجھائی نہیں دے رہا تھا۔ ایک طرف طالبان کا خوف دوسری طرف ایک بے بس انسان جن کا تعلق ایک ایسے ملک سے ہے جو پاکستان کا دوست ہے۔

بھائیوں نے فیصلہ کیا کہ ہم انہیں یہیں گھر میں کہیں چھپا کر کل سکیورٹی فورسز کے حوالے کر دیں گے لیکن انہیں ڈر یہ تھا کہ کہیں طالبان گاؤں کی تلاشی لے کر اسے ڈھونڈ نہ لیں۔اگر ایسا ہوتا ہے تو پھر ہمارے خاندان کی خیر نہیں۔ ہم نے چینی انجینئر کو مال مویشیوں کے کمرے میں چارے کے ٹب میں لٹا کر اس پر ایک پرانا کمبل ڈال دیا تاکہ طالبان اگر تلاشی لیں بھی تو شاید وہ مویشیوں کے کمرے میں نہ جائیں۔ چینی انجینئر سولہ گھنٹے تک چارے کے ٹب میں خوف کی وجہ سے بے حس و حرکت پڑا رہا۔

مٹہ میں اکبر خان کے گھر کا ایک منظر

اگلی صبح طالبان آئے، انہوں نے گاؤں میں گھر گھر کی تلاشی لی، سڑک سے گزرنے والی ہرگاڑی، ٹریکٹر اور موٹر سائیکل کو چیک کرتے رہے۔ انہوں نے مساجد سے اعلان کیا کہ کسی نے بھی چینی انجینئر کو ان کے حوالے کیا اس سے تیس لاکھ روپے انعام دیا جائے گا اور کچھ دیر بعد انہوں نے یہ رقم بڑھا کر نوے لاکھ روپے کردی۔ طالبان نے ہمارے گھر کی بھی تلاشی لی اور وہ مویشیوں کے کمرے کے دروازے پر رکے اور واپس لوٹے۔ یہ مرحلہ خیریت سے گزرا۔ اب سب سے مشکل مرحلہ چینی انجینئر کو یہاں سے نکالنے کا تھا۔ ہم نے چینی انجینئر کو گھر سے تقریباً چھ سو میٹر کے فاصلے پر موجود وینئی چیک پوسٹ پر تعینات سکیورٹی فورسز کے حوالے کرنے کا فیصلہ کیا۔

اب اس فیصلے پر عملدرآمد کیسے کیا جائے۔ حکمت عملی یہ تیار کی گئی کہ ہم سکیورٹی فورسز کو صورتحال سے آگاہ کرنے کے بعد چینی انجینئر کو سڑک کے کنارے چھوڑ دیں گے اور سکیورٹی فورسز کے اہلکار آ کر انہیں اٹھالیں گے اور اس طرح طالبان کو ہمارے بارے میں پتہ نہیں چلے گا۔جب ہم نے سکیورٹی اہلکاروں سے رابطہ کرکے انہیں حوالے کرنے کا طریقہ بتایا تو انہوں نے خوف کے مارے چیک پوسٹ سے نکلنے سے انکار کیا اور ہمیں کہا کہ آپ لوگ خود انہیں چیک پوسٹ پر پہنچا دیں۔ بالاخر مجبور ہوکر ہم نے ایسا ہی کیا۔

یہاں سے ہماری مصیبتیں شروع ہوگئیں۔ طالبان کو پتہ چل گیا اور انہوں نے ہمارے دو رشتہ داروں جنہیں انہوں نے کسی اور معاملے میں اغواء کیا تھا رہا کرنے کے بعد ان کے ذریعے ہمیں دھمکی بھیجی کہ آپ لوگوں کو نہیں چھوڑا جائے گا۔ اس کے بعد ہمارے تین خاندانوں نے گاؤں چھوڑ دیا مگر دو بھائی لیاقت خان اور جمال خان نے گاؤں چھوڑنے سے انکار کردیا۔ بیس نومبر دو ہزار آٹھ کو لیاقت علی خان اپنی گاڑی میں جارہے تھے کہ کُرئی کے مقام پر طالبان نے انہیں پکڑ کر قتل کردیا اور گاڑی کو آگ لگادی۔

حکمت عملی یہ تیار کی گئی کہ ہم سکیورٹی فورسز کو صورتحال سے آگاہ کرنے کے بعد چینی انجینئر کو سڑک کے کنارے چھوڑ دیں گے اور سکیورٹی فورسز کے اہلکار آ کر انہیں اٹھالیں گے اور اس طرح طالبان کو ہمارے بارے میں پتہ نہیں چلے گا۔جب ہم نے سکیورٹی اہلکاروں سے رابطہ کرکے انہیں حوالے کرنے کا طریقہ بتایا تو انہوں نے خوف کے مارے چیک پوسٹ سے نکلنے سے انکار کیا اور ہمیں کہا کہ آپ لوگ خود انہیں چیک پوسٹ پر پہنچا دیں۔ بالاخر مجبور ہوکر ہم نے ایسا ہی کیا۔

ہماری حالت ایسی تھی کہ ہم پشاور میں تھے اور ان کی جنازے اور فاتحہ میں شرکت بھی نہیں کر سکتے تھے۔ میں مینگورہ گیا اور اپنے بال بچوں کو گاؤں بھیج دیا۔ ہم نے وہاں پر مقیم دوسرے بھائی جمال خان کو جو پیشے کے لحاظ سے وکیل تھے مجبور کر دیا کہ اب گاؤں میں مزید ٹھہرنا خطرناک ہے لہذا وہ نکل آئیں۔ ہم نے بڑی مشکلوں سے انہیں نکلنے پر راضی کیا۔ ہمارے تمام خاندانوں نے جب مکانات خالی کر دیے تو طالبان نے جا کر سب کچھ لوٹ لیا یہاں تک کہ پرانی چارپائی بھی لے گئے۔

لیاقت خان کی ہلاکت کے بعد طالبان ہمارے باغوں کی رکھوالی کرنے والے مزارعین کے پاس گئے اور ان میں سے دو کو اغواء کیا۔ اس موقع پر خواتین نے اپنے مردوں کو چھڑانے کی کوشش کی کہ ان تینوں خواتین کو گولیاں مار ہلاک کر دیا گیا۔ طالبان دو مزارعین کو اپنے ساتھ لے گئے لیکن بعد میں ان کے رشتہ داروں نے مال مویشی بیچ کر تاوان ادا کیا اور انہیں چھڑا لیا۔

جمال خان جب پشاور آئے تو انہیں طالبان کی جانب سے فون پر دھمکیاں ملتی رہیں۔ ایک دفعہ دھمکی آمیز خط بھی ملا تھا جس میں کہا گیا تھا کہ چینی انجینئر کے چھڑانے کے بدلے آپ لوگوں نے کثیر رقم لی ہے لہذا اس میں سے ہمیں بھی حصہ ادا کریں۔

جمال خان کی ایک بیٹی امریکہ میں رہتی ہیں اور انہوں نے اپنے والد کی جان کو خطرے میں دیکھ کر انہیں امیگریشن ویزا دلوایا۔ اس سال تین اکتوبر کو انہوں نے پشاور سے دبئی کے راستے نیویارک جانا تھا لیکن اٹھائیسں ستمبر کو وہ غائب ہوگئے۔ پہلے پہل تو میں نے سوچا کہ وہ شائد گاؤں گئے ہوئے ہیں کیونکہ وہ ہمیشہ اصرار کرتے تھے کہ امریکہ جانے سے پہلے وہ ایک دفعہ گاؤں ضرور جائیں گے لیکن میں انہیں ایسا کرنے سے منع کرتا رہا۔

طیاروں کی بمباری سے تباہ ہونے والا گھر

جب ہمارا ان سے فون پر کوئی رابطہ نہیں ہوا تو ہماری پریشانی بڑھ گئی۔ صبح میں اپنے چوکیدار کے ساتھ گاڑی میں جا رہا تھا کہ اس نے پوچھا آپ بہت خفا معلوم ہورہے ہیں۔ میں نے واقعہ سنایا۔اب خدا کا کرنا دیکھو رات کو اس چوکیدار کا فون آیا اور کہنے لگا کہ’سر خبر ہے تو بری لیکن آپ نے حوصلے سے کام لینا ہے‘۔ اس نے کہا کہ آپ نے جس شخص کا حلیہ بتایا ہے اس کے بارے میں میرے ایک دوست جو ہسپتال میں کام کرتے ہیں کہنا ہے کہ انہوں نے اس حلیے کے حامل ایک شخص کا پوسٹ مارٹم کیا ہے۔

اس کے بعد ہم نے اور بھی پوچھ گچھ کی تو پتہ چلا کہ اس شخص کو لاوارث سمجھ کر پشاور کے رحمان بابا قبرستان میں دفنا دیا گیا ہے۔ہم نے قبر کشائی کی تو دیکھا کہ لاش جمال خان کی ہے۔

ہماری مصیبتیں یہاں ختم نہیں ہوئیں۔ اس دوران سوات میں فوجی کارروائی بھی جاری تھی کہ ہمیں خبر موصول ہوئی کہ لڑاکا طیاروں نے ہمارے مکانات پر بمباری کر کے انہیں تباہ کردیاہے۔ اس کے علاوہ ہمارے جو باغات تھے ان پر مزارعین نے قبضہ کر لیا کیونکہ وہ طالبان کے صفوں میں شامل ہوگئے تھے۔

جمال خان کی ہلاکت سے قبل ہم نے ایک اعلی فوجی اہلکار سے ملاقات کی اور وزیراعظم کے نام ایک خط لکھا جس میں ہم نےاپنے جانوں کی حفاظت اور بچوں کے تعلیم کے بندوبست کی درخواست کی۔ خط پر مرحوم جمال خان کے دستخط بھی موجود تھے مگر چین جیسے دوست ملک کے شہری کی جان کی حفاظت اور ملک کی اتنی بڑی خدمت کرنے کے باوجود حکومت نے ہماری جان و مال کی حفاظت کرنا تو درکنار بلکہ الٹا ہمارے مکانات کو جیٹ طیاروں سے تباہ کر دیا۔ہم آج بھی سوات میں حکومتی رٹ کی بحالی میں حکومت کی حمایت کرتے ہیں لیکن اب بھی ہماری جان کو خطرہ ہے

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John Solecki, Kidnappers' Casual Cruelty and Imran Khan's Logic

Please read the last four lines of the following editorial in Daily The News.

"As they stand over the bodies of their victims kidnappers invariably say that they bear no responsibility for the dead and headless body at their feet – it was all the fault of the government for failing to accede to their demands. They were 'forced' to act as they did. No they were not – they are murdering butchers who should be caught and prosecuted for their crimes no matter what they claim as 'justification'. Cloaking cruelty in nationalist rhetoric ennobles no cause."

Does not the kidnappers' logic remind us of Imran Khan's justification of the Taliban's terrorist activities in Pakistan?

Casual cruelty

Thursday, March 19, 2009 Somewhere in – probably Balochistan but he could be anywhere – John Solecki is perhaps close to the end of his life. He is a middle-aged aid worker, posted by the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) to head-up their office in Quetta. He was on his way to work at the beginning of February when his vehicle, clearly marked with the UNHCR insignia, was ambushed. His driver was killed and he was taken away. Almost two weeks later footage of a man believed to be Mr Solecki and rocking back and forth in distress was released by his alleged captors. They are said to be a little-known group of Baloch nationalists and were demanding, among other things, the release of over one hundred and forty Baloch women they claim have been abducted by 'government agencies.' Another month has passed and now his kidnappers are saying that unless their demands are met his life is forfeit and he will be killed, butchered in the same way as was a Polish engineer taken by the Taliban at Attock last year. Mr Solecki is known to suffer from a heart condition and require regular medication and his abductors claim that his health is deteriorating. The government for its part has said that it knows where the kidnappers are and has them 'surrounded' but has not yet moved for fear of provoking them into killing their victim. Kidnappings everywhere are notoriously difficult for law-enforcement agencies to handle and resolve satisfactorily; and the American FBI are said to be aiding local agencies in the attempt to free Mr Solecki. Kidnapping for money is increasingly common in NWFP and elsewhere, but ideological kidnappings, people taken to use as bargaining chips by their captors in their attempt to right whatever wrongs they believe has been done to them; is the crime that hits the headlines. There are credible reports that extremist groups have a 'tariff' of potential victims, grading them by their public profile and relative value. 'Cheap' targets are no longer of interest. As fewer and fewer foreigners choose to work here their market value is increased by their scarcity and they have become a high-value commodity to be traded for the best price. Mr Solecki was one such target and is paying the price today. He is also paying the price of neglecting his own security – he was travelling without a guard when he was taken. His chances are slim. It would be comforting to think that either a rescue could be effected or a deal done, but neither looks likely. The government has strongly denied holding any Baloch women and the casual cruelty that goes with kidnap is sadly likely to claim another victim. As they stand over the bodies of their victims kidnappers invariably say that they bear no responsibility for the dead and headless body at their feet – it was all the fault of the government for failing to accede to their demands. They were 'forced' to act as they did. No they were not – they are murdering butchers who should be caught and prosecuted for their crimes no matter what they claim as 'justification'. Cloaking cruelty in nationalist rhetoric ennobles no cause.

http://thenews.jang.com.pk/daily_detail.asp?id=167946

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Report: Kidnapped UNHCR official John Solecki killed in Pakistan

Update:

UNHCR official is alive: BLUF
Updated at: 1350 PST, Monday, February 23, 2009

QUETTA: The Balochistan Liberation United Front (BLUF) has denied the reports of making phone call to press club regarding killing of abducted United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) provincial head John Solecki.

The spokesman of BLUF said rumors are false alarm and said that he is still alive and absolutely fine.

Earlier, unknown persons had phoned in Quetta Press Club and claimed that John has been killed and his body will be found after two hours.

However, government and independent sources could not confirm the reports of John’s killing.

John Solecki had kidnapped in Quetta on February 2. An unknown organization Baloch Liberation United Front (BLUF) had claimed the responsibility of kidnapping.

	Unknown persons claimed killing of abducted UNHCR
	Updated at: 1300 PST, Monday, February 23, 2009 (The News/Xinhua)
	QUETTA: The unknown persons claimed killing of United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) provincial head John Solecki. According to reports, unknown persons phoned in Quetta Press Club on Monday and claimed that John has been killed and his body will be found after two hours. Another TV channel, Express News, said the phone call was made from Nushki town, roughly 100 kilometers south-west of Quetta near the Afghan border. A previously unknown group, the Baloch United Liberation Front, had claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. There is however a speculation that Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) or their sister orgnaization Lashkar-e-Jhangavi camouflaged as Baloch nationalists abducted Solecki to terrorize the United Nations and the international community. (The UN has recently committed to institute a commission to probe the assassination of Benazir Bhutto, an investigation which might expose the possible role of the ISI-Taliban alliance.) It may be noted that Solecki's driver, a Pakistani Shia Muslim was shot dead instead of being left or taken alive. John Solecki, a US national who led the UN refugee agency's regional office, was kidnapped February 2 by gunmen in the provincial capital, Quetta, while he was on his way to work in a car carrying the UN emblem and registration plates. However, government and independent sources could not confirm the reports of John’s killing. A UNCHR spokesman did not confirm the report, but said it might be a hoax call.

Also read:

Kidnapping of John Solecki: A joint act of terror engineered by Taliban and ISI, disguised as Baloch nationalists?

http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/02/kidnapping-of-john-solecki-joint-act-of.html

and

Quetta: UNHCR senior official kidnapped, Shia driver killed

http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/02/quetta-unhcr-senior-official-kidnapped.html

......

US worried about ‘Taliban shelters in Quetta’

* NYT says Taliban operations in Quetta different from FATA
* Intelligence officials say Afghan troop surge futile unless Taliban supply lines from Quetta are cut

Daily Times Monitor

LAHORE: There is growing concern among US officials, even as CIA drones pound targets in FATA, about alleged Taliban havens in Balochistan, The New York Times reported on Monday.

Americans are increasingly focusing on Quetta, from where Taliban leaders are alleged to stir violence in Afghanistan. Taliban operations in Quetta are different from operations in the Tribal Areas. As the United States prepares to pour as many as 30,000 additional troops into Afghanistan, military and intelligence officials say the effort could be futile unless there is a concerted effort to kill or capture Taliban leaders in Quetta to cut the group’s supply lines into Afghanistan.

Afghan and US commanders have long said Taliban leaders, including Mullah Muhammad Omar, guide commanders in southern Afghanistan from the city. “When their leadership is where you cannot get to them, it becomes difficult,” said Gen Dan K McNeill, who until June was the senior American commander in Afghanistan and recently retired. “You are restrained from doing what you want to do.”

Quetta is close to the provinces in southern Afghanistan where the war’s fiercest fighting has occurred. American intelligence officials said that the dozen or so militants who were thought to make up the Taliban leadership in the area were believed to be hiding either in Afghan refugee camps near Quetta or in some of the city’s Afghan neighbourhoods.

One former intelligence official with years of experience in Afghanistan and Pakistan likened the situation to America’s difficulties during the Vietnam War, when Vietnamese guerrillas used a haven in Cambodia. For the past year, the top American goal in Pakistan has been to press Islamabad for help elsewhere – in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan.

But NATO generals and diplomats have long complained that the command and control of Taliban fighters, distinct from Al Qaeda insurgents, may lie in southern Pakistan, and that Pakistani security services ignore the threat. “We’ve made progress going into the Tribal Areas and Northwest Frontier Province against Al Qaeda, but ... not ... against the Quetta shura,” said a senior Obama administration official.

Some current and former American intelligence officials are sympathetic to difficulties that the government in Islamabad faces in rounding up Taliban leaders. Balochistan has long been an area hostile to government control, and even Pakistani spies have difficulty building a network of sources there, they said.

The influence of the Taliban leadership over operations on the ground in Afghanistan is a matter of some debate among analysts.

“The Quetta shura is extremely important,” said Lt Gen David W Barno, a retired former commander of American forces in Afghanistan who is advising General Petraeus on a strategic review of this region, including Pakistan and Afghanistan. “They are the intellectual and ideological underpinnings of the Taliban insurgency.”

But Gen David D McKiernan, currently the top military commander in Afghanistan, said in a speech in Washington in November that any assessment that said the Quetta shura’s dictates were closely followed by field commanders “gives the Taliban far too much credit for coherency at the operational and strategic level.”

“They don’t have that,” the general added.

Still, diminishing the Taliban leadership in Quetta and weakening its influence over Taliban fighters in southern Afghanistan might also open the way to engaging more moderate Taliban politically. “The challenge has always been to exploit some cleavages between the top leadership, which we’ve ruled out of bounds in terms of reconciliation, and the layers one or two layers beneath them,” said Daniel Markey, a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations.

In May 2007, Pakistani operatives tracked Mullah Dadullah as he crossed the Afghan border. He was later killed by American and Afghan troops. But most of the arrests in Pakistan have coincided with visits by senior American officials. The arrest of Mullah Obeidullah, the former Taliban defence minister, in February 2007 coincided with the visit of former US vice president Dick Cheney. It is unclear whether he is still in custody or was secretly released as part of a prisoner exchange to free Pakistan’s ambassador to Afghanistan, kidnapped last February and released three months later.

Mullah Rahim, the top Taliban commander in Helmand, was arrested two weeks after Admiral Mike Mullen and a top CIA officer visited Islamabad. But an American intelligence official said last week he was no longer in custody. “The dilemma at the moment,” said Seth Jones, a terrorism analyst at the RAND Corporation, “is that some elements of the Pakistani government continue to support the Taliban as a proxy organisation in Afghanistan.” (Daily Times)

Read more...

Militants swapped for Chinese engineer? Swapping militants for hostages is a gain in the short-term but a loss in the long-term.....

Swapping militants for hostages will not work, General Kayani. It it time to attack and eliminate the militant leadership, once and for all.

Militants swapped for Chinese engineer?

Monday, February 16, 2009 By our correspondent PESHAWAR: The government has released over a dozen Taliban prisoners, several of them from Waziristan, for securing the release of the Chinese telecommunications engineer, Long Xiaowei, official and militant sources said on Sunday. Long Xiaowei was freed on Saturday after 170-day captivity and shifted to Chinese Embassy in Islamabad. Militants loyal to Maulana Fazlullah had kidnapped him along with his colleague Zhuang Guo from Khal town of Lower Dir district on August 29. Both the captives attempted to escape on October 17, 2007, in which Zhuang succeeded to get away but Long got his leg fractured in the move. The government functionaries have been tight-lipped about the deal between the militants and the government for the release of the engineer but The News has learnt that the government swapped Long Xiaowei for more than a dozen Taliban prisoners. “Yes, a number of militants were freed to secure the release of the Chinese engineer,” an official, who has full knowledge of the deal, told The News. He, however, refused to give the exact figure of the prisoners released in exchange for the engineer. “Efforts were intensified to secure his release before the president’s (Asif Ali Zardari) upcoming visit to China. It’s a gift to the people of China on the occasion of his visit and it is also expected that the president will take him (Long) along to China,” the source added. However, another official ruled out the release of any Taliban by the government in exchange for the Chinese hostage. He said the government exercised pressure and made the Taliban to free the Chinese. The government was under immense pressure for the release of the Chinese engineer after the beheading of a Polish geologist, Piotr Stanczak, by Darra Adamkhel Taliban militants. The already beleaguered government of Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani was further troubled when the Polish government termed the video of his beheading authentic. Also, pressure mounted on President Zardari when UN chief Ban Ki-moon asked him the day Long was released to take measures for the early and safe release of American UN official, John Solecki, kidnapped from Quetta. His captors have also threatened to kill him within 72 hours of his recently released video, if the government did not meet their demands. The official source insisted that some prisoners were freed on Saturday, paving the way for Long’s release the same day. Earlier, militants were denying any deal for freeing the captive engineer and insisted the move was made as a “goodwill gesture”. However, when told about the release of Taliban prisoners in exchange for the foreign engineer, spokesman for Swat militants, Muslim Khan, reluctantly confirmed to had got released the Taliban prisoners for letting Long Xiaowei go. “Over the last one week, the government freed several Taliban prisoners, but most of them were ordinary fighters. Actually, majority of the prisoners released hailed from Waziristan,” he claimed, refusing to divulge their exact number and identities. “If they were key the Taliban prisoners, they would have included my own brother,” Muslim said, replying to a question. The security forces have arrested his brother and son-in-law months ago from Makanbagh area of Mingora city of Swat valley. Another source close to Maulana Fazlullah and his militants told The News that 16 important Swat Taliban commanders were released on Saturday in exchange for the kidnapped Chinese national. However, from Muslim Khan’s conversation, it seemed that the number of released Taliban was higher than that. Earlier, efforts for the release of the kidnapped Chinese ended in smoke, as the government was not willing to accept the demand of the militants to free 136 Taliban prisoners, besides other demands. The militants had been refusing to release Long without their demands met by the government. Several attempts were made to contact the spokesman for the NWFP government, Mian Iftikhar Hussain, to get the government’s version on the deal, but he did not receive the calls. A press release of the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad said that they had received Long. “He has safely arrived at the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad. He will go back to China soon to reunite with his family. This embassy along with Mr Long wishes to extend sincere thanks to the efforts by relative departments of Pakistan for his safe release,” the press release said. “He is dismayed but in good health,” deputy head of China’s mission in Islamabad, Yao Jing, said of the engineer who had a fractured leg. (The News)

Read more...

Kidnapping of John Solecki: A joint act of terror engineered by Taliban and ISI, disguised as Baloch nationalists?

Based on various media reports, mainly compiled by Malik Siraj Akbar:

According to a recent internet survey in Pakistan, the majority of people do not believe that Baloch nationalists are involved in the kidnapping of John Solecki.

http://gmcmissing.wordpress.com/tag/john-solecki/

A relatively new organization calling itself the Baloch Liberation United Front (BLUF) has accepted responsibility for John Solecki’s kidnapping. The organization is demanding the release of around 6000 missing Baloch people who have been arrested by the Pakistani army intelligence agencies along with 141 Baloch women.

” We demand a resolution of the Baloch issue via Geneva Conventions,” said Shaik Baloch, a spokesman of the BLUF.

Solecki, the Balochistan head of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), was kidnapped on February 2 when he was on his way to the office located in Quetta’s Chaman Housing Society. His driver, Syed Hashim, was killed by the kidnappers.

” The reason it took us five days to claim responsibility was to make sure that we reach at a safe place before claiming responsibility,” said the spokesman: ” We are at a safe place now”.

The spokesman said his organization had no links with other Baloch armed groups but supported their cause and it would continue its operations in the future. ” If the UN does not meet our demands, we will kill its official and the onus would lie on the UN itself,” he warned.

The spokesman said John was absolutely fine. They could kill him at the first place but did not do so because they are peaceful people struggling for a just cause. However, if the UN takes their demands lightly then they will be obliged to kill the UN official.

“John is safe and sound in our custody,” said Mir Shahik Baloch, the spokesman of the BLUF, who telephoned various newspaper offices in Quetta via satellite phone from an undisclosed location. “We have kidnapped John to highlight the plight of the Baloch people in Pakistan who are being treated by the State worse than slaves. If the UN does not intervene and ensure the release of 6000 missing Baloch people, including 141 women and resolve the Baloch issue according to the Geneva conventions, we will kill John,” warned the spokesman.

Who are the actual kidnappers of Solecki?

Soon after the abduction of the American UN official, speculations went on the direction of the Baloch insurgents and the Talian operating in the area. But both the groups, including the top-most Baloch armed group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) disassociated itself from the kidnaping of the US citizen.
It is the first time the BLUF has emerged on the surface.

Baloch Traditions

The Baloch are a people who have sacrificed their lives to guard their guests. Shaeed Nawab Akbar Kahn Bugti cared so much about his Hindu minority subjects that he kept them close to his fort so that no one could harm the Hindus. The Baloch went to sacrifice their lives when Dr. Shahzia Khalid was raped by the Pakistani army. Our history is full of such examples. We can die but cannot let our guests be slightly affected.

Baloch Reaction
The entire day across Balochistan went discussing the Baloch Liberation United Front (BLFU). There is a mixed reaction. Many are unwilling to buy the argument that the Baloch could kidnap an American national. Because one does not see similar instances in the past. Those in a state of disbelief, contend that it is a deliberate attempt by the state of Pakistan to

a) Declare the Baloch as terrorists across the world in return of their democratic struggle for the just right of Baloch ownership on their natural resources.

b) Cause a set-back to the ongoing trail of two Baloch leaders, Hairbayar Marri and Faiz Baloch who are currently facing terrorism charges in a London court.

c) To provide a justification for the establishment of more military check-posts, cantonments and increase the number of troops in Balochistan province.

d) To present the Baloch fighters as even more brutal than the Taliban.



.....

Inspector General Frontier Corps speaks:

In an interview with Aaj TV, Inspector General Frontier Corps (FC) Major General Saleem Nawaz spoke very harshly against the kidnappers. “They [ the kidnappers] have touched a wrong person and will have to pay a heavy price for this act,” he warned.

The IG repeatedly argued that the BLUF was in fact the reshaping of the older organizations. Sitting from Afghanistan, he charged, Bramdagh Bugti, the grandson of Nawab Mohammad Akbar Khan Bugti, was running these operations on the directives of foreign elements. “If he were in the country, we would have arrested and brought him to justice,” he assured.

Mr. Nawaz also ridiculed the BLUF demands for the release of 141 missing women and 6000 other Baloch missing persons. In his views, these were exaggerated figures and if some people were really missing then their relatives and neighbors should contact the government to seek justice.

....


Kidnappers threaten American abducted in Pakistan

By ABDUL SATTAR – 1 day ago

QUETTA, Pakistan (AP) — Kidnappers threatened on Friday to kill an American employee of the United Nations within 72 hours and issued a grainy video of the blindfolded captive saying he was "sick and in trouble." A letter accompanying the video delivered to a Pakistani news agency said the hostage, John Solecki, would be killed unless authorities released 141 women it said were being held in Pakistan.

The video and the demands indicated that Solecki, the head of the U.N. refugee agency in Quetta, a city near the Afghan border, was alive and that his captors wanted to negotiate.

Solecki, who appeared blindfolded and with a shawl draped over his shoulders in the 20-second clip, said his message was addressed to the United Nations.

"I am not feeling well. I am sick and in trouble. Please help solve the problem soon so that I can gain my release," he said.

The kidnappers have identified themselves as the Baluchistan Liberation United Front, suggesting a link to local separatists who have waged a long insurgency against Pakistan's government rather than to the Taliban or al-Qaida, which are fighting U.S. forces in Afghanistan.

Still, the death threat heightened fears for Solecki's safety, coming just a week after Taliban militants apparently beheaded a Polish geologist abducted in another border area of Pakistan after the government failed to respond to demands for a prisoner release.

The Pole's slaying, if confirmed, would be the first killing of a Western hostage in Pakistan since American journalist Daniel Pearl was beheaded in 2002.

Gunmen seized Solecki on Feb. 2, after shooting his driver to death as they drove to work in Quetta.

Days later, the previously unknown Baluchistan Liberation United Front claimed responsibility for the kidnapping in a telephone call to the Quetta office of Online International News Network, a Pakistan-based news agency.

Online said it received an anonymous telephone call Friday telling it to collect a parcel from the post office, in which it found a memory card from a mobile phone containing the video of Solecki as well as the letter.

It supplied a copy of the video to Associated Press Television News and allowed an AP reporter to see the letter.

The letter demanded the release of 141 women from Pakistani custody and said the group would issue another list of hundreds of alleged male prisoners. "We will issue this list very soon. If our demands are not met, we will murder John Solecki," it said.

The commander of a government paramilitary unit in Quetta dismissed the claim of female prisoners as fiction.

"Who are these 141 women? Who knows who they are? This is just attention-seeking. This is just terrorism," Maj. Gen. Salim Nawaz told the Aaj television network.

Nawaz said that "powers who want to destabilize Pakistan" were manipulating ethnic Baluch separatist groups — language usually used by Pakistani officials to mean archrival India.

Maki Shinohara, a spokeswoman for the United Nations, said it had not been able to establish contact with the kidnappers. She said officials were scrambling to work out how to respond to the threat and the demands.

At United Nations headquarters in New York, U.N. associate spokesman Farhan Haq said the world body was studying the video to determine what to do next.

"We have seen the video and based on what we can see, it appears to be the person in the picture is John Solecki," Haq said. "Our team in Islamabad continues to examine the information. We have nothing further to add at this time beyond reiterating our appeal that John be released."

U.S. Embassy officials could not be reached late Friday for comment.

A string of attacks on foreigners near Pakistan's border with Afghanistan in recent months have highlighted authorities' crumbling control in the face of an intensifying Islamic insurgency.

Afghanistan's ambassador-designate, an Iranian diplomat and a Chinese telecoms engineer have been seized in or near the main northwestern city of Peshawar and are still missing. Gunmen killed an American aid worker in Peshawar in November.

While Quetta has been relatively calm, Afghan officials have repeatedly described it as a hub for Taliban leaders orchestrating the insurgency across the border. Pakistan's denies that.

Associated Press writers Asif Shahzad and Stephen Graham in Islamabad and John Heilprin at the United Nations contributed to this report.

....

Kidnappers of an American U.N. official John Solecki release his video



....

Kidnapped UN official to be recovered soon: Malik

Sunday, February 15, 2009 By Muhammad Ejaz Khan QUETTA: Adviser to the Prime Minister on Interior Rehman Malik on Saturday said the government is utilising all resources to recover kidnapped UN official John Solecki, and hoped he would soon be recovered as they have some indications. Talking to newsmen at the Chief Minister Secretariat soon after attending a high-level meeting to review the kidnapping case of Solecki, Malik observed that those who had kidnapped the UN official wanted to create problems for the country. “We will take every possible step to ensure safe recovery of John Solecki,” he said and added that the demands of the captors are ìunrealisticî. He said: “I have been directed by President Asif Ali Zardari and the prime minister to review the progress about the case and we are hopeful the UN official would be recovered soon.” He said the three demands from the group are not based on reality and one is about release of 141 women that the group says had been arrested by the government of Balochistan or the federal government. “I categorically assure that ladies have not been arrested by the Balochistan or federal government as both the governments were struggling for securing the rights of women. We have counter-checked from Nadra and if anybody has any clue he should approach the government as a telephone number of the CM Secretariat had been allotted in this regard.” Malik said: “I would like to invite the attention of the international community that these are highly unrealistic demands. Let the parents and children of the ladies come forward.” He said if anybody had the list it should be produced and we would release them. Replying to a question about the 72-hour ultimatum given by the captors, Malik said the abductors wanted to weaken the country. “I appeal to them to release John Solecki because he came here to serve the people.” Meanwhile, a press statement said the UN is seeking direct contact with those who are holding UN refugee agency’s (UNHCRís) representative in Quetta, John Solecki, to confirm he is indeed alive. The United Nations is aware of the demand relayed through the media, and also seeks urgent contact to discuss ways of securing his safe release as soon as possible, it said. The United Nations appeals to the community leaders, the people and all parties concerned to support its current efforts to obtain contact with those who are holding him, it added. Agencies add: “We have sufficient good leads which I cannot share right now. I hope to God and pray to God and Insha Allah we will succeed in recovering him,” Malik told reporters.. He condemned the kidnappers as “anti-Pakistan and anti-Islam.” The abduction is the most high-profile Western kidnapping in Pakistan since US journalist Daniel Pearl was snatched in 2002 and beheaded by Al-Qaeda militants. The efforts of the kidnappers are aimed at increasing international pressure on the country, he said. He, however, said the government could not be blackmailed and called upon the people in whose custody Solecki is to release him immediately. The adviser said maintenance of law and order was the provincial government’s responsibility and said the federal government would ensure every possible assistance in this regard. Terming the authenticity of the list provided by the group as challengeable, the adviser said after sharing the list with the CM, the IG Frontier Corps and officials of law-enforcement agencies, he was sure that none of the ladies was with the government. He explained that the name of Zarina Marri neither existed in the record of Nadra nor that of the local administration. “If the list provided to the authorities is based on reality, the heirs of these 141 ladies should contact the CM House. The government will again verify their names and take steps for their release.” Clarifying the status of allegedly missing 6,000 Baloch youths, Malik said the government received an incomplete list of 800 youths a few months ago. Only 200 names mentioned in the list were verified, of whom most had gone abroad while many of the remaining persons were released after interrogation. Malik expressed the doubt that the enemies of the country might have planned to fulfil their motives by making unrealistic demands.

...

BBC Urdu dot com report:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2009/02/090214_rehman_solecki_zs.shtml
Read more...

Poland cancels visit of Pakistan senators. Polish officials charged that elements within the Pakistani government shared blame for the killing.

Daily Express...



Poland cancels visit of Pak senators

* Offers $290,000 bounty for killers of Polish hostage

WARSAW/ISLAMABAD: Poland’s Senate on Tuesday called off a visit by Pakistani senators after their country’s negotiators failed to save Polish hostage Piotr Stanczak from execution by his Taliban captors.

The delegation had been due to visit Warsaw from February 12 to 14, according to a statement by the Polish Senate, AFP reported.

Polish officials charged that elements within the Pakistani government shared blame for the killing, AP reported.

Pakistan’s top diplomat in Poland rejected the accusation that members of the Islamabad government were sympathetic to extremists. Meanwhile, the government on Tuesday stopped a four-member Senate delegation from proceeding to Poland after the Polish Senate called off their visit. Senate Secretary Raja Amin said the visit was postponed on Monday evening.

Bounty: Also on Tuesday, the Polish government offered $290,000 reward for information leading to the capture of Taliban who had beheaded Stanczak. agencies/zulfiqar ghuman

http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2009\02\11\story_11-2-2009_pg1_5


Warsaw/Islamabad, Feb. 11 (ANI): Polands Senate has called off a visit by Pakistani senators after Pakistan failed to save Polish hostage Piotr Stanczak from execution by his Taliban captors.

The delegation was due to visit Warsaw from February 12 to 14, according to a Polish Senate statement, the Daily Times reported.

Polish officials have accused some elements within the Pakistan Government of being sympathetic to the Taliban.

Pakistans top diplomat in Poland, however, had rejected the charge.

Islamabad on Tuesday stopped the four-member Senate delegation from proceeding to Poland.

The Polish government had offered a 290,000-dollar bounty for information leading to the capture of Taliban who beheaded Stanczak. (ANI)

http://www.thaindian.com/newsportal/south-asia/poland-asks-pak-team-not-to-visit_100153778.html
Read more...

Taliban claim responsibility for a suicide attack on a procession of Shia mourners in Dera Ghazi Khan.

A spokesman for the Taliban in Darra Adamkhel speaks to various media agencies:


Taliban claim responsibility for a suicide attack on a procession of Shia mourners in D.G. Khan killing about 40 Shias. They also claim responsibility for an attack on police post in Manwalai (killing 8 policemen). They also release videotape of the Polish engineer’s beheading.

Read this report on BBC Urdu dot com:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2009/02/090208_taleban_claim_nj.shtml

....

Militants release videotape of engineer’s beheading

By Alamgir Bhittani and Abdul Sami Paracha


TANK/KOHAT, Feb 8: Taliban militants on Sunday released a videotape showing the beheading of Polish geologist Poitr Stancza and warned other kidnapped foreigners would meet the same fate if their demands were not met.

Before he was killed, the seven-minute video shows the blindfolded geologist making an appeal to the Polish government not send troops to Afghanistan. He asked the Polish government to sever diplomatic relations with Pakistan if it did not try to seek his release.

The video includes a statement by the Taliban, claiming they had other foreign nationals in their custody, including a Chinese, who would be beheaded if the government of Pakistan did not accept their demands.

The Taliban said on Saturday they had killed Stancza because the government had refused to free 60 detained militants.

Earlier, a spokesman for the militants in Darra Adamkhel refused to hand over the body of the slain engineer unless the government accepted their demands.

A Taliban spokesman told Dawn by phone the Taliban would swap the body of the engineer with “our men in government’s custody”.

Stancza was kidnapped in September last year when he was on a visit to his company’s site in Attock.

The spokesman, who identified himself only as Mohammad, said the government had underestimated their strength and offered Rs100 million for unconditional release of Stancza, but accepting money woud be tantamount to betraying ‘our fighters’

The spokesman also claimed responsibility for Saturday’s attack on a security checkpost in Mianwali and said: “Our leaders have formally allowed our volunteers to carry out attacks in Punjab, which they have been planning for two years.”

He also claimed responsibility for a suicide attack on a procession of Shia mourners in Dera Ghazi Khan and warned of more such attacks in Punjab in near future. He warned the government against arming people against Taliban in Mattani area of Peshawar and said that such action would force the militants to go to war.

“We also warn tribesmen and the people living in settled areas of fatal consequences if they cooperate with the government.” (Dawn)

....

Report of beheading on BBC Urdu dot com:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2009/02/090208_polish_eng_sen.shtml
Read more...

Lashkar-e-Jhangavi /Sipah-e-Sahaba involved in killing of Polish engineer in Pakistan

The following report suggests that the kidnapping and beheading of the Polish engineer was carried out by Lashkar-e-Jhangavi /Sipah-e-Sahaba, the local-sponsors of Al Qaeda and Taliban in Pakistan...

Taliban Says It Killed a Polish Contractor in Pakistan


By JANE PERLEZ and ISMAIL KHAN
Published: February 7, 2009

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A Polish engineer who was kidnapped by the Taliban last September was killed by his captors Friday night after negotiations with the government for his release collapsed, a Taliban spokesman said on Saturday.

A spokesman for the president of Pakistan, Asif Ali Zardari, said initial reports received by the government showed that the engineer, Piotr Stanczak, had been killed but the authorities were awaiting final confirmation. In Poland, the prime minister, Donald Tusk, said he had received reports that Mr. Stanczak had been killed.

Mr. Stanczak, who was shown in a video on Pakistani television in October pleading for his release, was one of several foreigners captured by the Taliban in recent months, evidence of the increasingly grim security situation in the country.

He appears to be the first Western captive killed by Islamic militants in Pakistan since the murder of Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal correspondent, in January 2002.

Mr. Stanczak worked for a Polish firm under contract with a Pakistani state enterprise, the Oil and Gas Development company, and was kidnapped in an ambush on his way to work in Attock, 70 miles northeast of the capital.

A diplomat from Afghanistan, and another from Iran, who were captured in separate ambushes in the chaotic city of Peshawar in the North-West Frontier Province late last year, are still being held by militants.

A Chinese telephone technician captured in the Swat Valley last year is also in Taliban hands. An American aid worker, Stephen D. Vance, was shot and killed on his way to work in Peshawar in November.

Last week, a senior United Nations refugee official in Pakistan, John Solecki, an American, was kidnapped on his way to work in the southwestern city of Quetta. On Saturday, a little-known separatist group called the Baluchistan Liberation United Front claimed responsibility for the kidnapping and issued a set of demands.

A Polish diplomat in Islamabad, Wieslaw Kucharek, said Saturday that a special Polish envoy from Warsaw met with President Zardari in December to seek help for the engineer’s release. The Pakistani leader gave assurances that Pakistan would do all possible to win the engineer’s release, Mr. Kucharek said.

A Taliban spokesman, who called himself Muhammad, called several Pakistani television reporters early Saturday morning, saying the Taliban had killed Mr. Stanczak because the government had failed to release militants being held in prison, said Fakhar Kakakhel, the Peshawar bureau chief of the AAJ television network. In October, Mr. Kakakhel had been taken blindfolded by the Taliban to shoot the video of Mr. Stanczak, who sat before two masked men pointing rifles at him, begging for his freedom.

On Saturday, the spokesman told Mr. Kakakhel that the body of Mr. Stanczak would be released only if the government met the militants’ demands, Mr. Kakakhel said. The demands included releasing Taliban prisoners and ending military operations against the Taliban in the area of Darra Adamkhel, a Taliban-controlled town on the edge of the tribal region in the North-West Frontier Province.

Because the Taliban were refusing to show the body of Mr. Stanczak, some Pakistani intelligence officials said they believed that the militants’ were bluffing and that the Pole might still be alive.

Negotiations between the Pakistani government and a branch of the Taliban umbrella group in Pakistan, Tehrik-i-Taliban, which was holding Mr. Stanczak, intensified this week when the Taliban set a series of deadlines that ended Friday, Mr. Kakakhel said.

Tehrik-i-Taliban is headed by Baitullah Mehsud, whose forces are battling the Pakistani Army in increasingly large swaths of the country.

Mr. Stanczak had been held for some time in Darra Adamkhel, intelligence officials said. At one point he was moved to Makine in North Waziristan, a stronghold of Mr. Mehsud, the officials said.

The major sticking point in the negotiations, according to Mr. Kakakhel and intelligence officials involved in the talks, was the refusal of the militants to settle for a ransom offered by the Polish and the Pakistani governments rather than the release of the prisoners.

The Pakistani government refused to budge on the release of any prisoners, they said.

Among the militants whose release the Taliban demanded was Omar Saeed Sheikh, who was found guilty of conspiring to kill Mr. Pearl and is appealing his death sentence from a jail in Pakistan.

The negotiations were continuing Friday night when at 10 p.m. the captors demanded the release of four fairly low-level Taliban fighters belonging to Lashkar-i-Jhangi, a banned militant outfit, Pakistani intelligence officials said.

At that point, the Interior Ministry informed the Taliban that the government would check in which prison the four fighters were being held and get back to the captors, the intelligence officials said. The Taliban never responded.

Pakistan’s tribal region has for generations served as a virtually impenetrable hiding place for kidnappers who made their living from ransoms, said Talat Masood, a prominent Pakistani journalist who works for AAJ television.

“What is surprising is the inability of the government to get people out alive even though they are willing to put any amount of money on the table,” Mr. Masood said.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/08/world/asia/08pstan.html?ref=world

....

The life of other hostages (from China, Iran, Afghanistan and the USA)are in danger. BBC Urdu dot com reports:


http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2009/02/090207_polish_taliban_analysis.shtml

...

Also read another relevant report:

http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/02/poland-says-engineer-held-by-taliban.html

....




(Tanvir Qaiser Shahid)
Read more...

Poland says engineer held by Taliban believed dead; Taliban's Sipah-e-Sahaba / Lashkar-e-Jhangavi wing involved...

There are confirmed reports that the Polish engineer kidnapped by the Taliban near the Pindi Sultani area of Attock on Sept 28 has been killed. His driver and two guards were shot dead at the time of his abduction.

The life of yet another innocent visitor to this country, engaged in work of benefit to the wider population, has been taken away – and for what? Peter Stanczak had been working for the Polish National Seismic Agency when he was kidnapped.

His captors had threatened to kill him on Feb 4 if the government did not accept their demands. Their demands were typical -- the release of militants (belonging to Taliban, Sipah-e-Sahaba, Lashkar-e-Jhangavi) imprisoned in various jails and in the custody of intelligence agencies and a halt to military operations in tribal areas, including Darra Adamkhel, Bajaur, Swat and Waziristan. Equally typically, the government was not going to – indeed could not and should not – comply.

On Feb 2 John Solecki, the head of United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) office in Quetta was kidnapped and his driver killed. Stanczak and Solecki,

join a growing list of foreign workers and diplomats who have either been kidnapped or killed by the Taliban. Underpinning these dreadful acts there is a pervasive belief that 'foreign' equals 'bad'. A belief that the 'foreigners' who come here to work, often in difficult and dangerous circumstances, do so with some sort of hidden agenda.

The truth is that 'foreigners' like Mr Solecki and the murdered Mr Stanczak come here to work with the humanitarian imperative close to the front of their minds. We should be thankful that they do, we need the skills and experience they bring with them – and that there are still those brave enough to be willing to serve here.

(The News, Editorial, 8 Feb 2009)

...


Polish geologist Peter Stanczak was mercilessly beheaded.

Who killed him?

Taliban have accepted the responsibility. The video was shown/ widely reported in the international media. They were demanding the release of their fellow Taliban from Pakistani jails.

(Previously Taliban have openly claimed responsibility of many such attacks including killing of Shiites in a hospital in D.I.Khan, destruction of about 200 schools in Swat, beheading of numerous police and army personnel).

Some people (e.g. Imran Khan, Qazi Hussain Ahmed) suggest that the acts of terror in Pakistan are being done by foreign agents.

In this case, it seems that Taliban (TTP) are the foreign agents. Is that right?

Then, what should we think about those people who are sympathetic to the mission and the demands of the Taliban, who suggest that the Government of Pakistan must negotiate with the Taliban, who suggest that Pakistan army must withdraw from Swat and FATA (e.g. Imran Khan, Qazi Hussain Ahmed).

Are they, too, foreign agents?

Where is ownership?

How long does it take for an army/government to jam/spot/eliminate an FM radio station run by Taliban? In Swat, it has taken more than 2 years, and the scourge goes on.

http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/01/taliban-rule-roost-in-swat-through-fm.html

http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/01/swat-some-excerpts-from-mullah.html

Critical thinking? How can we critically think unless we are willing to think outside the box?

...

Pakistan media: Polish hostage killed
Sat, 07 Feb 2009 07:17:01 GMT

Militants, who had abducted Polish geologist Peter Stanczak, have apparently killed him on Friday morning.

Taliban militants have reportedly killed a Polish geologist taken hostage some 110 kilometers west of Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

Local media reports said that Tehreek-i-Taliban militants, who had in custody Polish geologist Peter Stanczak, have killed him on Friday morning.

Local officials at Kohat city and Peshawar declined to comment on the reports, according to the Press TV correspondent.

The reports come as Poland's foreign ministry said on Thursday that Taliban kidnappers had extended the deadline for their demands to be met.

"The minister has confirmed media information on the extension of the ultimatum," which expired on Wednesday, Poland's Deputy Foreign Minister Jacek Najder told reporters.

"Today our representatives in Islamabad received assurances from Pakistani government that efforts were being made to bring the case to a happy conclusion," Najder said.

Tehrik-e-Taliban militants had threatened on January 30 to kill the hostage if their demands are not met within a week.

"We cannot wait more as the government has taken acceptance of our demands (in return) for the release of Polish geologist Peter (Stanczak) very light," a spokesman for Darra Adamkhel chapter, affiliated with Tehrik-e-Taliban, has said in a statement.

It added that the militant group's demands include the complete withdrawal of Pakistani forces from volatile tribal regions, and the release of captured insurgents. The statement did not ask for ransom.

Polish geologist Peter Stanczak was under a contract with Pakistan's national Oil and Gas development Company Limited (OGDCL), when he was abducted near Jand town in Attock district of Punjab four months ago.


Peter - in a video released by Taliban - appeals to the Warsaw government to persuade Islamabad into accepting the militants' demands and save his life.

MVZ/DT

http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=84973&sectionid=351020401

....


Tanvir Qaiser Shahid, Daily Express.




....

Taliban say kidnapped Pole killed; fate unclear
Sat Feb 7, 2009 5:46am EST

By Abdul Sami Paracha

KOHAT, Pakistan, Feb 7 (Reuters) - The fate of a Polish engineer kidnapped in Pakistan was unclear after a Taliban spokesman said that he had been killed on Saturday, but the body wouldn't be handed over until captured fighters were released.

Dawn News television channel reported the Taliban spokesman's claim that Piotr Stancza was killed because the authorities had failed to free the militants before a deadline that expired at midnight on Friday, but there was no confirmation from Pakistani officials.

The same Taliban spokesman, identified only as Mohammed, told Reuters that Stancza was dead, but went on to say that the body would only be handed over once the Taliban's demands were met, raising a question of whether it was a negotiating tactic.

"We have killed the man after authorities refused to release our colleagues," the purported Taliban spokesman told Reuters. "We will now hand over his body only after our demands are met."

An intelligence official in the region, who requested anonymity, said the Taliban had demanded 200,000 rupees ($2,540) for the return of the body.

Officials were unable to verify the Taliban claim, and the two principal hostage negotiators handling Stancza's case could not be reached immediately for comment.

A Polish official said Pakistan's interior ministry had signalled overnight that negotiations were continuing for Stancza's release, and the Polish government viewed reports of his death as "media speculation".

"We have no signal from our embassy, or from the (Pakistani) administration that the person was killed," Poland's deputy foreign minister, Jacek Najder, told a news conference. Stancza was kidnapped on Sept. 28 while visiting one of his company's sites near Attock city, about 65 km (40 miles) west of the capital, Islamabad.

Gunmen shot dead his Pakistani driver, bodyguard and translator before taking him hostage.

Militants had demanded that 60 of their comrades should be freed, but later cut their demand to four of their top men and negotiations have intensified over the past 10 days.

Attacks on foreign aid workers, company employees and diplomats have increased in Pakistan over the past year, especially in areas near the border with Afghanistan, where Taliban and al Qaeda militants are battling government forces.

An American heading the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) office in southwestern province of Baluchistan, was abducted last week and his driver was shot dead.

Two Chinese telecommunication engineers, two Afghan diplomats and an Iranian diplomat were kidnapped in northwest Pakistan, though one of the Chinese later escaped.

(Additional reporting by Alamgir Bitani; Writing by Augustine Anthony; Editing by Simon Cameron-Moore and Sugita Katyal)


....


Poland says engineer held by Taliban believed dead

Sat Feb 7, 2009

WARSAW (Reuters) - Poland has received unofficial confirmation that a Polish engineer kidnapped by the Taliban in Pakistan has been killed, Prime Minister Donald Tusk said on Saturday.

"We do not have a solid proof but we have received unofficial confirmation that this tragedy indeed took place," Tusk told reporters in Munich in comments broadcast live on Polish TV.

Piotr Stancza, an engineer for the Polish company Geofizyka Krakow, was kidnapped on Sept. 28 while visiting a site near Attock city, about 65 km west of Islamabad.

Gunmen shot dead his Pakistani driver, bodyguard and translator before taking him hostage.

In a press briefing in Warsaw, deputy foreign minister Jacek Najder said the Pakistani internal affairs ministry had received information from three independent sources the Pole was killed.

A Taliban spokesman said he had been killed on Saturday but the body would not be handed over until captured fighters were released.

Paksitan's Dawn News television channel quoted him as saying Stancza was killed because the authorities had failed to free the militants before a deadline that expired at midnight on Friday, but there was no confirmation from Pakistani officials.

An intelligence official in the region, who requested anonymity, said the Taliban had demanded 200,000 rupees ($2,540) for the return of the body.

http://in.reuters.com/article/southAsiaNews/idINIndia-37895920090207

....

BBC Report

http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2008/09/080930_polish_taliban_zs.shtml


http://www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/pakistan/story/2009/02/090207_taliban_polish_engineer.shtml

....

Also read:

Evidence of Lashkar-e-Jhangavi/Sipah-e-Sahaba's involvement in the kidnapping and beheading of the Polish engineer



http://letusbuildpakistan.blogspot.com/2009/02/lashkar-e-jhangavi-sipah-e-sahaba.html

....



Video Is Said to Be Polish Hostage’s Beheading in Pakistan

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: February 9, 2009

DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) — A graphic video delivered to reporters on Sunday appeared to show the execution of a Polish engineer by Pakistani militants who had held him captive for more than four months.

The seven-minute video appears to show the engineer, Piotr Stanczak, sitting on the floor flanked by two masked men. Off camera, a militant briefly engages him in conversation before three others behead him. One of the hooded men then addresses the camera, blaming Pakistan for the execution because it had not agreed to demands to release Taliban prisoners.

If confirmed, Mr. Stanczak’s death would appear to be the first killing of a Western hostage in Pakistan since Daniel Pearl, a Wall Street Journal reporter, was beheaded in 2002.

Pakistan has had a rash of kidnappings and attacks on foreigners in recent months, mostly attributed to militants from Al Qaeda and the Taliban trying to destabilize the secular government and punish it for supporting the American-led war next door in Afghanistan.

On Saturday a Taliban spokesman said Mr. Stanczak was killed Friday night because the government had missed a deadline to release 26 prisoners.

On Sunday an intermediary who said he had obtained it from the Taliban gave an Associated Press reporter in northwest Pakistan the video on a flash drive. Reuters also reported receiving a copy of the video.

An Interior Ministry spokesman, Shahidullah Baig, said the government had “heard about” the existence of the video and was investigating.

Piotr Adamkiewicz, a spokesman at the Polish Embassy in Islamabad, said the mission had seen some images from the video. He said it appeared to show the Polish hostage being killed.

Armed men pulled Mr. Stanczak from his car on Sept. 28 after killing three Pakistanis traveling with him near the city of Attock in northwestern Pakistan, a lawless region believed to be a possible hiding place for Osama bin Laden and other Qaeda leaders.

Mr. Stanczak worked for a Polish geophysics firm under contract with a Pakistani state oil company.

John Solecki, the American official with a United Nations refugee agency, was seized last Monday in Quetta, in Baluchistan Province, as he was traveling to work. His driver was shot to death.

Wazir Khan Nasir, the chief investigator in Quetta, said a previously unknown ethnic Baluch separatist group calling itself the Baluchistan Liberation United Front telephoned a local journalist Saturday to claim responsibility. He did not say what the group’s demands were.

(The New York Times)
Read more...

Pakistan, a paradise for terrorists? (ISI+Taliban = Swat)

Tanvir Qaiser Shahid



Read more...

Taliban’s strategy of kidnapping in Pakistan

Terrorism’s strategy of kidnapping

The Balochistan head of the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), John Solecki, was kidnapped on Monday when he was going unguarded in his car to his office in Chaman in Balochistan. Mr Solecki was an extremely “valuable” victim because of his status as a UN official and his American nationality. Therefore the reaction from the UN will be most inconvenient for Pakistan in so far as the UNHCR is crucial to Pakistan’s efforts to take care of war-displaced refugees. The UN has the option of terminating its missions if its personnel are not seen to be even minimally secure.

Terrorism thrives on kidnapping for ransom. Its operations need money even if each branch-line cell has its own independent revenue through extortion. We have seen the rise of one warlord after the other when their kidnappings and “extortion notes” were either ignored or not effectively opposed by the state. The rise of Baitullah Mehsud is owed to the kidnapping of Chinese engineers from a project in the Tribal Areas. The problem with high-profile abduction is that the state can no longer adhere to its stance of “not negotiating” with the terrorists when it comes under pressure to pay off and get the abducted person back.

Baitullah Mehsud’s second colossal addition to his treasury was the untold sum he received from Islamabad for letting go of Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul. Mr Tariq Azizuddin was released in May last year by the Taliban after three months of capture, and the government kept on denying that it had succumbed to both “swap” and “payment”. But the facts are certainly otherwise. When the victim is an important person the terrorists will additionally want the release of its militants arrested by the state.

Kidnapping therefore provides funding and the recovery of arrested activists. The Taliban have an Iranian diplomat — Hashmatullah, an Iranian Commercial Attaché in Peshawar — in their custody. Desperate to find him, the government last raided a locality in Karachi to retrieve him alive. In the battle that ensued, two policemen died while 35 men belonging to Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and other banned religious outfits such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi were arrested. The last named ally of Al Qaeda routinely resorts to kidnappings in Karachi for revenue. The Iranian diplomat is still missing. The conclusion is inescapable: until the state becomes strong enough in the face of the terrorist challenge, “normal” activities, like trade, sports and finally diplomacy itself, will come under risk.
Read more...