ISLAMABAD: Surging terror and extortions have endangered public safety in Pakistan ’s restive northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, where militants in several districts run a parallel shadow administration.
The southern districts of the province have almost become no-go areas even for law-enforcers. In the evening, militants are seen patrolling the streets and setting up checkpoints in Bannu, North and South Waziristan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, and Dera Ismail Khan regions.
While these districts remain at mercy of militants from evening to morning, well-off people in other districts of the province frequently receive threatening WhatsApp texts and letters from Pakistani Taliban -- or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- with demands to pay or face attacks. The ones who refuse to pay ransom are often targeted with grenade attacks at their homes, shops and warehouses, apparently to show the group was serious about its threats.
Faisal Khan, a lawyer in Umerzai area in Charsadda district, told TOI that he had received a threatening WhatsApp text earlier this month from an Afghanistan number with a demand to pay $50,000 (Pak Rs 1.4cr).
Khan claims that after reporting the threats to the police, he went to high-ranking officers to request protection and assistance. Most official discussions, he said, concluded with cautious assurances.
“A family goes through pain for months after such a call. Even after approaching the cops, the victims are normally asked to install CCTV cameras, restrict movement and take care of security themselves,” Khan said. He also revealed that he was cautioned by “allies in the govt” that he “should not count” on them to keep him safe. “Either pay up or move your family to Islamabad or Lahore,” he said in reference to a private communication with some officials after he pressed for assistance.
Last week, Khan said he had received a parcel carrying a shroud and other items required before burials. “This was followed by a threatening message to vacate my home within 30 minutes,” Khan said, adding he has refused to pay the extortioners.
However, Shahzaib, another person in the same neighbourhood who had received a similar text on TTP’s letterhead last month, has paid after negotiating a deal through intermediaries. He eventually paid a reduced part of the $50,000 the militants initially demanded.
“The key thing I learnt was that TTP is demanding extortion from everyone they think can pay. Most, if not all, wealthy individuals have already paid,” Shahzaib said.
According to police, the main hurdle for law-enforcers in tracking down extortionists is the calls which they make from non-local lines, internet-generated resources, illegal gateways and Whatsapp numbers.
Apart from various groups, the police said, criminal rings are also found involved in many such calls. In the last two years, police sources said at least 1,600 Afghan phone numbers and 387 illegal gateways were used for making extortion calls. These numbers and illegal gateways, according to the police, have been shared with higher authorities for follow-up action. “Despite the alarming increase in Taliban extortion demands, the issue has yet to attract national attention,” a senior police official said.
The southern districts of the province have almost become no-go areas even for law-enforcers. In the evening, militants are seen patrolling the streets and setting up checkpoints in Bannu, North and South Waziristan, Tank, Lakki Marwat, and Dera Ismail Khan regions.
While these districts remain at mercy of militants from evening to morning, well-off people in other districts of the province frequently receive threatening WhatsApp texts and letters from Pakistani Taliban -- or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) -- with demands to pay or face attacks. The ones who refuse to pay ransom are often targeted with grenade attacks at their homes, shops and warehouses, apparently to show the group was serious about its threats.
Faisal Khan, a lawyer in Umerzai area in Charsadda district, told TOI that he had received a threatening WhatsApp text earlier this month from an Afghanistan number with a demand to pay $50,000 (Pak Rs 1.4cr).
Khan claims that after reporting the threats to the police, he went to high-ranking officers to request protection and assistance. Most official discussions, he said, concluded with cautious assurances.
“A family goes through pain for months after such a call. Even after approaching the cops, the victims are normally asked to install CCTV cameras, restrict movement and take care of security themselves,” Khan said. He also revealed that he was cautioned by “allies in the govt” that he “should not count” on them to keep him safe. “Either pay up or move your family to Islamabad or Lahore,” he said in reference to a private communication with some officials after he pressed for assistance.
Last week, Khan said he had received a parcel carrying a shroud and other items required before burials. “This was followed by a threatening message to vacate my home within 30 minutes,” Khan said, adding he has refused to pay the extortioners.
However, Shahzaib, another person in the same neighbourhood who had received a similar text on TTP’s letterhead last month, has paid after negotiating a deal through intermediaries. He eventually paid a reduced part of the $50,000 the militants initially demanded.
“The key thing I learnt was that TTP is demanding extortion from everyone they think can pay. Most, if not all, wealthy individuals have already paid,” Shahzaib said.
According to police, the main hurdle for law-enforcers in tracking down extortionists is the calls which they make from non-local lines, internet-generated resources, illegal gateways and Whatsapp numbers.
Apart from various groups, the police said, criminal rings are also found involved in many such calls. In the last two years, police sources said at least 1,600 Afghan phone numbers and 387 illegal gateways were used for making extortion calls. These numbers and illegal gateways, according to the police, have been shared with higher authorities for follow-up action. “Despite the alarming increase in Taliban extortion demands, the issue has yet to attract national attention,” a senior police official said.
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