http://www.viewpointonline.net/ttp-offshoot-behind-kidnapping-hungarian-engineers.html
A Madarassa teacher Maulvi Muhammad Nabi resident of Ali Abad in Hangu District formed the Muhammad Nabi Group comprising some disgruntled militants of the area. Immediately after its establishment, the group launched anti-state activities and also opened a centre at Afghan refugees camp in Lakhti Banda in District Hangu
The Muhammad Nabi Group, an offshoot of Tehrik Taliban Pakistan operating in Hangu District of Pakistans Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, is believed to be behind the kidnapping of the two Hungarian engineers of MOL Oil Exploration Company, sources have confided to the Viewpoint.
The two engineers were kidnapped while they were travelling somewhere between the Lachi area in Hangu district in January this year. The gunmen also traded fire with paramilitary troops escorting the company staff. Six people including four paramilitary troops were killed in the encounter.
So far the group has demanded Rs. 120 million ransom for the release of the two Hungarian engineers. But the final amount has not been brokered as yet, sources privy to the developments revealed, adding that certain modalities of payment, etc. have also yet to be decided.
The armed Muhammad Nabi Group is based in Lachi, District Kohat and is involved in several incidents of ambush and trading fire with security forces, resulting in financial and human losses to the latter.
Sources say that the group operatives are experts in the using automatic and heavy weaponry besides being well aware of mountainous terrains in the rough area. It is really difficult to catch the groups militants but any targeted drone attack can be helpful in wiping out the miscreants, who are a permanent threat to the well-to-do locals and foreigners in the area.
The same group had demanded ransom of Rs. 200 million from Ghani-ur-Rehman (the late), former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister, with the threat of blowing his home if he failed to pay the demanded ransom. However, the minister lost his life in a bomb blast in Hangu.
The name of Muhammad Nabi was included in the FIR with regard to that particular bomb blast, sources said, adding that the family members of the deceased minister also feared for their lives and shifted to some unknown location as the same group continued to threaten them.
With the surge in militancy in the area, a Madarassa teacher Maulvi Muhammad Nabi resident of Ali Abad in Hangu District formed the Muhammad Nabi Group comprising some disgruntled militants of the area. Immediately after its establishment, the group launched anti-state activities and also opened a centre at Afghan refugees camp in Lakhti Banda in District Hangu.
However, after law enforcement agencies got sniff of the groups activities, it shifted to Orakzai Agency for sometime where it developed some critical differences with TTP local operatives and then camped at Ghrozandi, Tehsil Lachi in Kohat and turned the area into its hub of anti-state activities.
The security personnel launched an operation against the group in Ghrozandi in 2009 and Five militants of the group including the brother of Maulvi Muhammad Nabi were apprehended. However, Muhammad Nabi succeeded in fleeing to Spin Thall in Hangu.
Currently, sources said, Muhammad Nabi group is operating in Spin Thal as well as some areas of North Waziristan in collaboration with the TTP and Al-Qaeda operatives. The main business of the group, kidnap for ransom has assumed the form of an industry in certain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sources said, adding that the group has made lives a hell for the residents.
MOL Pakistan is reluctant to continue its operations due to volatile security situation in the area, resulting in suspension of 40 MMSCFD gas and 1600 barrel oil per day production. MOL has withdrawn its personnel from some site forthwith in order to avoid any further human loss.
On October 15, 2009, MOL announced that it had made a new (fourth) discovery of gas and condensate on Maramzai-1 well in the Tal Block, located in the Northern Western Frontier Province of Pakistan. The production of Maramzai-1 well is 1.1 million cum/day (38.3 MMscfd; 6.4 th boe/day) gas and 228 cum/day (1,434 bbl/day) condensate at 220 bar (3,197 psig) flowing wellhead pressure through 48/64 choke.
Adnan Farooq did his Masters in Political Science and has worked with daily The Nation, Lahore and daily Jang, Lahore. He has also volunteered for Milieudefensie, Amsterdam. Friends of the earth, Europe, on environmental issues. He has been working with ON FILE, an Amsterdam-based publication run by journalists from all around the world. He studied Conflict Resolution at University of Amsterdam and is living in Paris. He is the editor.
A Madarassa teacher Maulvi Muhammad Nabi resident of Ali Abad in Hangu District formed the Muhammad Nabi Group comprising some disgruntled militants of the area. Immediately after its establishment, the group launched anti-state activities and also opened a centre at Afghan refugees camp in Lakhti Banda in District Hangu
The two engineers were kidnapped while they were travelling somewhere between the Lachi area in Hangu district in January this year. The gunmen also traded fire with paramilitary troops escorting the company staff. Six people including four paramilitary troops were killed in the encounter.
So far the group has demanded Rs. 120 million ransom for the release of the two Hungarian engineers. But the final amount has not been brokered as yet, sources privy to the developments revealed, adding that certain modalities of payment, etc. have also yet to be decided.
The armed Muhammad Nabi Group is based in Lachi, District Kohat and is involved in several incidents of ambush and trading fire with security forces, resulting in financial and human losses to the latter.
Sources say that the group operatives are experts in the using automatic and heavy weaponry besides being well aware of mountainous terrains in the rough area. It is really difficult to catch the groups militants but any targeted drone attack can be helpful in wiping out the miscreants, who are a permanent threat to the well-to-do locals and foreigners in the area.
The same group had demanded ransom of Rs. 200 million from Ghani-ur-Rehman (the late), former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister, with the threat of blowing his home if he failed to pay the demanded ransom. However, the minister lost his life in a bomb blast in Hangu.
The name of Muhammad Nabi was included in the FIR with regard to that particular bomb blast, sources said, adding that the family members of the deceased minister also feared for their lives and shifted to some unknown location as the same group continued to threaten them.
With the surge in militancy in the area, a Madarassa teacher Maulvi Muhammad Nabi resident of Ali Abad in Hangu District formed the Muhammad Nabi Group comprising some disgruntled militants of the area. Immediately after its establishment, the group launched anti-state activities and also opened a centre at Afghan refugees camp in Lakhti Banda in District Hangu.
However, after law enforcement agencies got sniff of the groups activities, it shifted to Orakzai Agency for sometime where it developed some critical differences with TTP local operatives and then camped at Ghrozandi, Tehsil Lachi in Kohat and turned the area into its hub of anti-state activities.
The security personnel launched an operation against the group in Ghrozandi in 2009 and Five militants of the group including the brother of Maulvi Muhammad Nabi were apprehended. However, Muhammad Nabi succeeded in fleeing to Spin Thall in Hangu.
Currently, sources said, Muhammad Nabi group is operating in Spin Thal as well as some areas of North Waziristan in collaboration with the TTP and Al-Qaeda operatives. The main business of the group, kidnap for ransom has assumed the form of an industry in certain areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, sources said, adding that the group has made lives a hell for the residents.
MOL Pakistan is reluctant to continue its operations due to volatile security situation in the area, resulting in suspension of 40 MMSCFD gas and 1600 barrel oil per day production. MOL has withdrawn its personnel from some site forthwith in order to avoid any further human loss.
On October 15, 2009, MOL announced that it had made a new (fourth) discovery of gas and condensate on Maramzai-1 well in the Tal Block, located in the Northern Western Frontier Province of Pakistan. The production of Maramzai-1 well is 1.1 million cum/day (38.3 MMscfd; 6.4 th boe/day) gas and 228 cum/day (1,434 bbl/day) condensate at 220 bar (3,197 psig) flowing wellhead pressure through 48/64 choke.
Adnan Farooq did his Masters in Political Science and has worked with daily The Nation, Lahore and daily Jang, Lahore. He has also volunteered for Milieudefensie, Amsterdam. Friends of the earth, Europe, on environmental issues. He has been working with ON FILE, an Amsterdam-based publication run by journalists from all around the world. He studied Conflict Resolution at University of Amsterdam and is living in Paris. He is the editor.
