Friday, March 20, 2009
EDITORIAL...THENEWS.COM
The sequence of kidnapping of foreign nationals on our soil continues. The latest story to emerge is that of a Canadian woman journalist, coincidently a Muslim, who has been held since November last year in the Bannu Frontier Region. Her kidnappers have now demanded they be paid $2 million and warned that the journalist would otherwise be killed by the end of March. The targeting of persons visiting Pakistan by militants has continued now for months. A Polish engineer was brutally killed a few weeks ago after being taken away from near his place of work in Attock. The Polish government remains unsatisfied with the current state of the investigation into his abduction and subsequent murder in Darra Adamkhel. A US aid worker, an Iranian diplomat and several other victims are thought also to be in the hands of groups that have carried out similar abductions. Once known for its hospitality to visitors, Pakistan has been converted into a region where most fear to tread.
The fact that our agencies have been unable to determine which forces are behind these abductions is appalling, given that we maintain so huge a network of intelligence outfits. The past failures of law enforcers have only emboldened militants who launch ever-more audacious attacks. People have been whisked away from the heart of our biggest cities, including Peshawar and Quetta. This has an extremely adverse impact on business, investment and a great deal else. We must make an all-out effort to act against groups involved in such kidnappings. Otherwise we will only see more such abductions in the days ahead.
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