Session Judge Shakirullah Marwat, who was abducted from Waziristan, has been released following an intelligence-based operation. However, conflicting reports have surfaced concerning the circumstances of his release.
Journalist Azaz Syed has claimed that a ransom was paid to secure his release, with PTI leader Sher Afzal Marwat playing a pivotal role in the negotiation process.
District and Session Judge Marwat was kidnapped by over twenty unidentified militants near Bhagowal. The police initiated comprehensive search operations across various areas, employing advanced technologies like geo-tagging and geo-fencing.
During an interview with a private TV channel, Azaz Syed claimed that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government arranged a ransom payment of 5 crore rupees for the judge’s release. Sher Afzal Marwat played a vital role in the release.
Contrarily, Aaj News reported that a ransom of 7 crore rupees was paid. However, no suspects were released in exchange after a jirga mediated between the police and the kidnappers in Lakki Marwat, leading to the judge’s release in the Kalachi area.
Despite these reports, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has denied any payments for Judge Marwat’s release.
According to a statement issued by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police, District and Session Judge Shakirullah Marwat was kidnapped by more than twenty unidentified militants near Bhagowal. Upon receiving the incident report, the police conducted search operations using geo-tagging and geo-fencing technologies.
Subsequently, the KP police launched raids on several militant hideouts in the Kalachi area, carrying out eight grand operations in Dera Ismail Khan and Tank areas over 30 hours. During these operations, six militants were killed. Based on intelligence reports, the operations conducted between the nights of April 28 and 29 led to the safe recovery of the abducted judge, Shakirullah Marwat.
