Security Crisis in KP Deepens as Militants Abduct Soldiers, Official

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PESHAWAR – The security crisis in KP escalated on 16 May after militants kidnapped two Pakistan Army personnel and a senior government official in separate incidents in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts, officials confirmed.

DSP Basharat Khan said on 18 May that armed men abducted Second Lieutenant Syed Saeed Ahmed while he was travelling from Quetta to Lahore along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) route. The officer had reached the Hasan Khel area of Dera Ismail Khan when the militants stopped his vehicle and took him away at gunpoint.

On the same day, militants also kidnapped Ijaz Hussain, another Pakistan Army member, in the Panyala area of Dera Ismail Khan. He was on leave and travelling to his hometown Mali Khel when he was abducted. The hardline Militant Group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) claimed responsibility for both abductions.

In a third incident, unidentified gunmen kidnapped Muhammad Imran, Deputy Director of the Agriculture Department in South Waziristan. According to a police statement issued on 18 May, the assailants stormed a mosque in Wazirabad area of Tank and abducted the official at gunpoint. No group has claimed responsibility so far.

Militant Violence Adds to Security Crisis In KP

Security forces launched search operations in both Dera Ismail Khan and Tank districts. Police said investigations are ongoing and all leads are being pursued to recover the abducted individuals.

These incidents are part of a troubling pattern. In recent years, militants have frequently abducted security personnel and government officers. In several cases, they demanded ransom or prisoner exchanges.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Faisal Karim Kundi earlier admitted that militant groups exert control over parts of southern KP after dark. He acknowledged that government authority weakens during the night in those areas.

Residents Protest Over Growing Insecurity

The security crisis in KP has triggered public protests in recent months. Residents have demanded immediate and indiscriminate action against all militant groups. They have rejected the classification of militants into “good” and “bad” categories.

The federal government and Pakistan Army maintain that they are conducting targeted operations in KP and Balochistan. Officials say several militant networks have been dismantled and control restored in conflict-hit zones.

However, the coordinated abductions of two army personnel and a senior government official within hours raise serious concerns about the effectiveness of existing counterterrorism efforts.

Police confirmed that operations are ongoing. Authorities have vowed to recover the abductees and punish those responsible. Still, the families of the victims and civil society groups are demanding greater transparency, stronger protection, and a more aggressive response to the worsening security crisis in KP.

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