PESHAWAR: Six employees of a power company were abducted by militants while on duty in Pakistan's restive Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, police said on Saturday.
The incident took place on Friday in the Pir Dal Khel area of Bannu district, which borders North Waziristan.
The Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) team was repairing electricity lines when armed militants attacked and abducted the staff members along with their driver.
Following the abduction, police and security forces launched a search operation to trace the militants and secure the release of the hostages.
A tribal elder from the area condemned the abduction, saying such "cowardly acts" not only disrupt the work of public service institutions but also spread fear and panic among the local population.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has witnessed a surge in militant violence in recent years, particularly after the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in 2022.
Security personnel, infrastructure projects, and government installations have frequently come under attack in the province.