 MULTAN: The Border Military Police (BMP) and Levies averted a hostile situation when more than 200 Qaiserani tribesmen besieged the Rodho gas fields in Taunsa Sharif on Tuesday after security forces arrested seven Qaiserani tribesmen for attempting to kidnap Chinese and Pakistani engineers at the gas field.
| "Arrr! Chinamen! Engineers, too! Let's kidnap 'em, Mahmoud!" |
The arrested tribesmen including Sardar Shabbir Ahmed Qaiserani, a local councillor, Imran Qaiserani, Rehmatullah and Farrukh Qaiserani had reportedly tried to take 20 Chinese and some Pakistani engineers working at the gas field hostage because the management of the company exploring gas at the fields had allegedly not fulfilled its commitment to provide jobs to local tribesmen.
"Arrrr! I'm here for my new job!"
"Hokay. What kinda skills you got?"
"Shootin', rocket launchin', grenade tossin', pickup truck ridin', an' knife fightin'! An' I memorized the Koran!"
"I feel more secure already!" |
Later, more than 200 Qaiserani tribesmen encircled the area and stopped water to the engineers' camps. However, the arrested men were released after two hours of negotiations with the tribesmen that ended at 2:00am on Wednesday. "Although we have released the seven tribesmen who had barged into the engineers' camps to press the company's management to accept their demands, a case has been registered against them under sections 354 and 324 of the PPC. BMP personnel have also been suspended for negligence because the armed tribesmen entered the camps despite presence of the security forces," said BMP Commandant Imtiaz Hussain Shah. He said the Qaiserani tribe had agreed to provide security to the Chinese engineers and that the tribe's grievances would be addressed in a meeting in Taunsa Sharif on April 17. |