PESHAWAR, Feb 20: The Peshawar High Court on Wednesday directed the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa governor to step in to ensure early, safe recovery of the eight Gomal Zam Dam Project employees kidnapped by militants.

While issuing these directions, the court also gave last opportunity to the relevant officials for the recovery of the abductees, saying if that didn’t happen, then it would issue an ‘adverse order’ against them all.

The relatives of the kidnapped people had sent an application to the chief justice a few weeks ago that was converted into a writ petition.

During the hearing into the case, a bench comprising Chief Justice Dost Mohammad Khan and Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth expressed dissatisfaction with the efforts made by the administrations of North and South Waziristan agencies and Wapda authorities for the recovery of the kidnapped persons and observed that it was left with no option but to ask the governor to intervene in the matter to do the needful.

It asked the governor to press the political agents of North and South Waziristan agencies along with the additional chief secretary of Fata Secretariat for expediting their efforts.

The bench observed that the governor should also interact with other stakeholders, including Wapda, to ensure early, safe release of the abducted employees as their families had been subjected to mental torture and agony.

It also asked the governor that he might hold an inquiry into the entire episode through the governor’s inspection team to know how the project employees were kidnapped and how they were conveniently taken to the extreme end of South Waziristan passing through or bypassing checkposts and barriers manned by army, security forces and khasadars.

The bench observed that the most disturbing point in the case was how abducted persons were cross over to North Waziristan bundling them into one or two vehicles as only one road lead to North Waziristan on which many checkposts were situated which remained closed round the clock and all vehicles checked properly before crossing it over.

It added that the aspect that there were several checkposts from Razmak to Miramshah which could not be bypassed in view of high hills on both sides, should be thoroughly investigated.

The bench observed that the governor should also see the level of responsibility of tribal community in North and South Waziristan from where the employees were kidnapped and kept.

It added that if political agents of the two agencies were unable to deliver in the case, which was of urgent and alarming nature, then they should be transferred by the governor.

The bench fixed next hearing for Mar 12, saying it would be last chance for the recovery of the kidnapped employees and if that didn’t happen, then it would issue an ‘adverse order’ against all officials concerned.

At the start of the proceedings, the bench asked political agent of North Waziristan Siraj Ahmad Khan what steps he had so far taken for the recovery of the kidnapped persons.

The political agent said it appeared that the abductees had been moved out of his area. He suggested that action be taken against the tribe of the area, where employees were kidnapped, to pressure militants to free abductees.

The chief justice observed that despite several directives issued by the court, the authorities had so far failed to take any positive step in this respect.

During one of the previous hearings the court was informed that kidnappers had demanded Rs150 million ransom and release of their 17 arrested men.