Lakki Marwat, January 9, 2025: Armed assailants abducted 16 employees of the Pakistan Atomic Energy Commission (PAEC) and their driver in the southern district of Lakki Marwat, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, on Thursday morning.
According to police, the incident occurred in the Kubl Khel area, where uranium mining operations are carried out under the PAEC’s supervision. The victims were traveling in a van when armed men intercepted them near the Paiyanda Khan locality. The attackers forced the employees out of the vehicle, set it on fire, and fled with the hostages.
Eyewitnesses reported that the abduction happened on the road connecting Lakki Marwat to Mianwali, near Punjab’s Isa Khel border. While the kidnappers’ whereabouts remain unknown, security forces and police have cordoned off the area and launched a search operation, with local peace committee members assisting in the effort.
No group has claimed responsibility for the abduction so far, and the kidnappers’ demands remain unclear. However, the incident follows a recent statement by the banned militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), threatening to target Pakistan’s economic projects.
A few hours after the abduction, unverified videos purportedly featuring the kidnapped employees emerged online. In the videos, the abductees claimed they were in Taliban custody at a “safe location” and appealed to the government to fulfill the captors’ demands to secure their release. The authenticity of these videos has yet to be independently confirmed.
The incident has heightened concerns about security in the region, which has seen an increase in militant activity in recent months. Authorities are continuing their efforts to recover the abductees and ensure safety in the area.
