LAKKI MARWAT: The alleged kidnapping of a police constable from Peshawar triggered street protests here on Thursday as the Police Aman Committee, a peace body of the serving police officials, and residents of the Kurram Par area held meetings and demonstrations at the Police Lines and the Kurram Bridge, demanding safe recovery of the missing police official.

Sources said that the office-bearers of the Police Aman Committee made announcements through their chat groups, asking their colleagues to reach the Police Lines at the District Headquarters Complex, Tajazai. In no time, a large number of policemen in civvies holding official rifles reached the Police Lines where they held an emergency meeting.

The participants expressed anger over the incident and demanded of the government and police bosses to take the matter seriously and ensure practical steps for the safe recovery of policeman Samiullah.

Later, in a video message which went viral on social media platforms, the Police Aman Committee’s president, Khalid Khan, alleged that Constable Samiullah who was an active member of the committee and belonged to the Landiwah area had been kidnapped from Peshawar within the limits of Pushtakhara Police Station on Thursday. He said that the kidnapped police official was untraceable and that they were in constant contact with local and higher police officials for his safe recovery.

Police peace body, residents demand safe recovery of constable

Mr Khan said that all personnel from the police stations, posts and other duty stations gathered at the police lines on the call of Aman committee to hold a protest meeting and formulate a joint strategy.

“Today, policemen are not safe, and tomorrow, no one will be safe if we do not unite to stop such incidents in the future,” he said.

The committee president asked elders, members of the legal fraternity, traders and activists of political and social bodies to reach the police lines by 3pm and sit together with the Police Aman Committee for a joint strategy.

“A grand jirga will make important decisions about the future line of action,” he announced.

On the other side, residents of Landiwah and adjacent hamlets accompanied by the members of Pasban Committee closed the Peshawar-Karachi Highway near Kurram Bridge to record their protest against the missing of the police personnel.

The protesters placed tree trunks and other barriers on the busy artery connecting Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with down parts of the country and protested until the filing of the report.

Hafiz Saifullah Khan and other elders said that Samiullah’s disappearance was the second such incident in the last one week.

Mr Saifullah said that Anwar Khan had gone missing five days ago.

“There is an unrest among local residents and the police personnel as well over the happenings of such incidents,” he said.

The newly-posted district police officer, Sajjad Ahmad Sahibzada, negotiated with the protesters’ representatives. The protesters later dispersed, opening the highway to vehicular traffic.

Meanwhile, the closure of the highway troubled transporters and commuters as freight and public transport vehicles queued up on both sides of the highway.

The absence of traffic wardens from their duty points also created a severe traffic mess in the urban localities of the district.

In the Serai Naurang town, the motorists, bike riders, transporters and pedestrians faced inconvenience due to traffic jams on the GT Road passing through the main bazaar.

Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2026