A senior army officer and three of his relatives, who had been abducted by unidentified gunmen in Pakistan’s northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, have safely returned home, according to a statement from the Pakistani military on Saturday.
The officer, Lieutenant Colonel Khalid Ameer, had traveled to his ancestral village in the Kulachi area of Dera Ismail Khan district to attend his father’s funeral when he was kidnapped, along with three relatives, on Wednesday, according to local police reports.
In a statement released late on Saturday, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistani military, confirmed their “safe and unconditional” release.
“The safe and unconditional release of Lt Col Khalid Ameer and three of his relatives was secured through the efforts of tribal elders and local notables,” the ISPR said. “All the abductees have safely returned home.”