PESHAWAR: The Pakistani Taliban on Saturday freed a worker of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC), who was kidnapped among more than a dozen others this month in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, and handed over body of another employee who had died in captivity, police said.
The Pakistani Taliban, which have recently stepped up attacks in Pakistan’s restive northwest, had kidnapped more than a dozen workers of the sensitive government agency, responsible for nuclear energy projects, from the volatile Lakki Marwat district on Jan. 9.
Eight of them were later released through joint efforts by tribal elders and amid a search operation conducted by police and security forces in the dense forest area where the militants had reportedly taken the kidnapped employees.
While the Pakistani government had not issued a statement on the incident, Shahid Marwat, the Lakki Marwat police spokesperson, had confirmed that a group of nearly 18 “civilians” working on “atomic and mining projects” had been kidnapped by armed gunmen.
“Following hectic efforts by local administration and [tribal] elders, one of the abductees has been set free, while they [kidnappers] have handed over dead body of another abductee to the elders,” Marwat told Arab News on Saturday.
“Eight employees are still in kidnappers’ captivity.”
There was no immediate confirmation of the development by the Pakistani government or the PAEC, but the Pakistani Taliban said they released the worker as a “goodwill gesture.”
“An atomic energy commission official was released as a goodwill gesture at the request of tribal elders,” they said in a statement.
Marwat said it wasn’t immediately clear how one of the abductees had died in captivity.
“His dead body is in hospital for postmortem to know if he was killed by the kidnappers or he had died of natural causes,” he told Arab News.
Earlier this month, the militants released a video of the abductees, in which a man was seen reading out the demands laid by the kidnappers, requesting the government to “immediately” accept them.
The demands included the release of militants arrested in Lakki Marwat, the release of families of militants allegedly in government custody, a commitment not to demolish the homes of militants and their relatives in the future, and compensation for the homes already demolished in the region.
Lakki Marwat is situated on the edge of Pakistan’s northwestern tribal districts bordering Afghanistan, where the TTP has frequently targeted security force convoys and check-posts, in addition to engaging in targeted killings and kidnappings of law enforcers and government officials in recent months.
Pakistani Taliban release kidnapped worker of atomic energy commission, body of another — police
https://arab.news/47a6v
Pakistani Taliban release kidnapped worker of atomic energy commission, body of another — police
- Over a dozen Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission workers were kidnapped from Lakki Marwat on Jan. 9, with eight of them released later
- No immediate confirmation of the release of one more worker by the government, police official says eight workers still remain in captivity
Islamabad says surge in aircraft orders after India standoff could end IMF reliance
- Pakistani jets came into the limelight after Islamabad claimed to have shot down six Indian aircraft during a standoff in May last year
- Many countries have since stepped up engagement with Pakistan, while others have proposed learning from PAF’s multi-domain capabilities
ISLAMABAD: Defense Minister Khawaja Asif on Tuesday said Pakistan has witnessed a surge in aircraft orders after a four-day military standoff with India last year and, if materialized, they could end the country’s reliance on the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
The statement came hours after a high-level Bangladeshi defense delegation met Pakistan’s Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu to discuss a potential sale of JF-17 Thunder aircraft, a multi-role fighter jointly developed by China and Pakistan that has become the backbone of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) over the past decade.
Fighter jets used by Pakistan came into the limelight after Islamabad claimed to have shot down six Indian aircraft, including French-made Rafale jets, during the military conflict with India in May last year. India acknowledged losses in the aerial combat but did not specify a number.
Many countries have since stepped up defense engagement with Pakistan, while delegations from multiple other nations have proposed learning from Pakistan Air Force’s multi-domain air warfare capabilities that successfully advanced Chinese military technology performs against Western hardware.
“Right now, the number of orders we are receiving after reaching this point is significant because our aircraft have been tested,” Defense Minister Asif told a Pakistan’s Geo News channel.
“We are receiving those orders, and it is possible that after six months we may not even need the IMF.”
Pakistan markets the Chinese co-developed JF-17 as a lower-cost multi-role fighter and has positioned itself as a supplier able to offer aircraft, training and maintenance outside Western supply chains.
“I am saying this to you with full confidence,” Asif continued. “If, after six months, all these orders materialize, we will not need the IMF.”
Pakistan has repeatedly turned to the IMF for financial assistance to stabilize its economy. These loans come with strict conditions including fiscal reforms, subsidy cuts and measures to increase revenue that Pakistan must implement to secure disbursements.
In Sept. 2024, the IMF approved a $7 billion bailout for Pakistan under its Extended Fund Facility (EFF) program and a separate $1.4 billion loan under its climate resilience fund in May 2025, aimed at strengthening the country’s economic and climate resilience.
Pakistan has long been striving to expand defense exports by leveraging its decades of counter-insurgency experience and a domestic industry that produces aircraft, armored vehicles, munitions and other equipment.
The South Asian country reached a deal worth over $4 billion to sell military equipment to the Libyan National Army, Reuters report last month, citing Pakistani officials. The deal, one of Pakistan’s largest-ever weapons sales, included the sale of 16 JF-17 fighter jets and 12 Super Mushak trainer aircraft for basic pilot training.
