16 Atomic Energy Commission officials kidnapped

Unidentified armed men have kidnapped 16 employees of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission accompanied by a driver in the southern Lakki Marwat district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The local police say that the incident took place on Thursday morning in the area of Qabul Khel, known to have a huge collection of uranium mines operated under the Atomic Energy Commission.

The security official further said that all the employees were traveling in a van when armed men stopped their vehicle near Painda Khan area, took the employees with them and set their vehicle on fire.
Locals told BBC that the employees were kidnapped from Lakki Marwat en route to Mianwali, located on the border of Punjab province.

It is not yet known where the kidnappers have taken the employees. 

However, security forces and police officials have cordoned off the area and a search operation is underway to recover them with help from the local peace committee. 

Reportedly, a few hours after the kidnapping, alleged videos of the kidnapped employees have emerged online, in which they are seen saying that they are in a safe place with the Taliban. The hostages appealed to the government to accept the kidnappers’ demands and rescue them. 

However, BBC reports that they have not been able to independently verify the videos.

The banned militant outfit Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) threatened to target the Pakistani military’s economic projects in a statement last week.

The situation in Lakki Marwat has been tense for the past year and a half, with repeated attacks on law enforcement officials. 

Two days ago, unidentified assailants shot and killed two police officers in the Ghaznikhel area of Lakki Marwat, after which the local peace committee and police personnel chased the armed attackers and killed one of the gunmen in a clash.