LAHORE: The Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Punjab in a joint raid in Rawalpindi arrested two members of the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) who had allegedly beheaded a Polish engineer in 2009 in South Waziristan.

Engineer Piotr Stanczak had been abducted from Attock, near Rawalpindi, in September 2008 and a case was registered with Basal police station against the unidentified kidnappers.

The CTD Punjab and the premier agency arrested Kaleemullah and Farid Khan on June 1 when they obtained intelligence reports about their arrival in Rawalpindi to commit a terrorist act.

After this breakthrough, the case of kidnapping and subsequent murder of Piotr for investigation has been re-opened some 12 years after its registration.

The raiding teams recovered from them explosives and lodged an FIR under section 3/4 Explosive Substances Act and 7 Anti-Terrorism Act 1997 with CTD Rawalpindi police station.

A senior official privy to the development said a seven-minute horrific video was delivered to reporters in February 2009 that showed execution of the Polish engineer by unknown militants.

He said the alleged terrorists had held Piotr Stanczak captive for more than four months.

It had showed the engineer sitting on the floor flanked by two masked men and [off-camera] a militant had briefly engaged him in conversation while three others beheaded him.

Later, one of them recorded his video statement that the Polish engineer was assassinated for not releasing Taliban prisoners.

“During interrogation, Kaleemullah confessed that he had taken part in beheading of Piotr Stanczak while Farid Khan said he had kept him in his custody in Darra Adam Khel for several days [before beheading]”, the official told Dawn.

Farid Khan told the investigators that [after abduction] Piotr had been taken to Darra Adamkhel’s Daburi Markaz where the engineer was kept under his (Farid) supervision for 15 days.

Later on, Piotr was shifted to South Wazirastan and was beheaded there on Feb 7, 2009.

In the video, Kaleemullah pointed himself as one who put Piotr’s head on his (Kaleem) body after beheading.

About Terrorists

The official said Farid Khan (30) belongs to Zarghun Khel Afridi tribe and resides in Haji Noor Ali Kalay, Darra Adam Khel, [erstwhile Fata, now KP].

In addition to this crime, he is also involved in several other terrorists acts including attack on Kutal and Spin police stations, a massive onslaught on the army during operation on Tor Sapar, IED attack on Girls School Haji Noor Ali Kalay, abduction and killing of owner of coal mines in Kalakhel, killing of a Malik (tribal head) at village Kewaal (Darra Adam Khel), multiple attacks on Aman Lashkar, destruction of CD shops and kidnapping for ransom.

He initially joined Tariq Geedar group of TTP and then he changed various factions of the Tehreek-i-Taliban.

Kaleemullah (32) also hails from the same locality. He is also involved in attacks on Aman Lashkar, providing shelter to various terrorists during army operation and various kidnappings for ransom.

Kaleem is brother-in-law of Tari Afridi alias Tariq Geedar, who is head of his own Tariq Geedar faction of TTP commonly known as TGG. He also worked as driver/personal gunman of Tariq Geedar, the official said while concluding that more revelations were expected during interrogation.

Published in Dawn, June 11th, 2020