PESHAWAR: A Peshawar High Court bench on Wednesday directed several federal and provincial government officials, including interior secretary, to update it on the progress in the case about the kidnapping of Islamia College University, Peshawar vice chancellor Ajmal Khan by militants around three years ago.

Justice Malik Manzoor and Justice Ikramullah Khan also ordered the clubbing of the case with a pending case related to kidnapping of eight employees of Gomal Zam dam project over a year ago, and adjourned the hearing to Sept 18.

On the next hearing, the respondents, including the interior secretary, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa inspector general of police, the provincial home secretary, the additional chief secretary of Fata Secretariat and the political agents of North and South Waziristan agencies, will inform the bench about developments in the case on the next hearing.

Mr Ajmal Khan was abducted on Sept 7, 2010, along with driver when he was on the way to office from his house.

Later, video footages surfaced showing that militants had abducted him and that they had linked to his release to the meeting of their demands by the government.

Deputy attorney general Iqbal Mohmand had sent an application to PHC Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan through the country’s human rights cell seeking suo moto notice of the issue saying almost three years had passed but the provincial government had taken no step for the recovery of the vice chancellor.

He said he had filed the application as an individual and not as DAG as Ajmal Khan was a thorough gentleman who was respected by all because of his reputation.

Mr Mohmand said a video footage of Mr Ajmal was released about which story had appeared in local newspapers on July 7, 2013, wherein he had requested the chief justice and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor and chief minister to take interest in his release from Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

He said the detainee belonged to a respectable family of Charsadda and was nephew of leading freedom fighter Khan Abdul Ghaffar Khan, popularly known as Bacha Khan.

The DAG said the court had already asked MNAs from North and South Waziristan agencies, including Mohammad Jamaluddin, Ghalib Khan and Mohammad Nazir Khan, to play their role in the safe release of the Gomal Zam dam project employees.

He suggested that the said MNAs and the political agents be asked to offer help in the Ajmal Khan kidnapping case, too.

WAPDA EMPLOYEES KIDNAPPING CASE: Also in the day, the bench adjourned the hearing into the case of Gomal Zam dam project employees to Sept 18, asking MNAs Mohammad Jamaluddin, Ghalib Khan and Mohammad Nazir Khan to help the tribal administration convene a jirga for the recovery of the abductees.

The MNAs said they had been struggling to move around in the Waziristan agencies over the delicate law and order situation and therefore, needed the help of the local administration to deal with the issue.

Lawyer for Wapda Fida Gul questioned the involvement of the MNAs in the issue, saying it was the responsibility of the government to recover the kidnapped persons.

He said Wapda had already made it clear that it was willing to pay half of the ransom money if the government intended to pay it.

Mr Mohmand said the MNAs were the elected representatives and had influence in the two agencies.

“At least, they (MNAs) could establish contacts with the kidnappers to ascertain what their actual demands are,” he said.

During one of the previous hearings, Mr Mohmand said negotiations with militants hit snags after a US drone strike killed TTP deputy chief Waliur Rehman on May 29.

The Wapda workers were on the way to Tank district from the dam site in South Waziristan on Aug 15 in 2012 when they were kidnapped.