EXCLUSIVE - A friend of Piotr Stanczak, the Pole kidnapped in Pakistan on September 28, has told thenews.pl that, contrary to claims made by the Pakistani government, security arrangements when the abduction took place where normal, and not negligent.
By Peter Gentle
Employers of the kidnapped Pole, Geofizyka Krakow Ltd (GK), have completed the evacuation of all employees from their base in the Attock province.
Twenty Polish engineers and technicians were evacuated in two groups - the first last Wednesday and the rest followed on Saturday.
The Pakistani daily, The Dawn, writes that Geofizyka has cancelled all of their experiments at the base, and decisions as to the eventual continuation of work depends upon consultations between locals and the Polish firm. The paper adds that the decision could financially devastate local farmers, who effectively “rent” Geofizyka their fields for testing.
The Polish engineer, Piotr Stanczak, was kidnapped by armed assailants on September 28, some 200 km from Islamabad. Three Pakistanis - a driver and two bodyguards, who accompanied the Polish engineer were shot dead during the kidnap.
Lacks security?
Last week, the Prime Minister of Pakistan said that he was puzzled why the Polish company had not taken up his government’s offer of ten security officials to accompany their workers wherever they went. Instead, Stnaszak took just one or two security staff and a driver.
But a friend of Piotr Stanczak - who wishes to remain anonymous - told thenews.pl today that security arrangements during the field trip when the abduction took place were routine and in accordance with the company’s, and the Pakistani government’s, guidelines.
The source said that one government bodyguard is assigned to each worker when on field trips outside the base. This was the case when Stanczak was kidnapped.
This contradicts statements made by the Pakistani police last week.
“In the opinion of the Pakistani police, a lack of appropriate safety measures was one of the main causes of the kidnapping,” Farman Ali, a journalist from the Pakistani English-language The Dawn daily told Polish Television’s tvp.info Internet service.
Stanczak’s friend, however, says he was surprised by this and similar statements made by Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani. Stanczak’s employers at Geofizyka Krakow Ltd were also taken back by the comments.
“We have a great deal of experience operating in Pakistan and we have always consulted safety procedures with local Pakistani police. We have never heard any objections from them and so far, the safety measures in place have been sufficient”, said Geofizyka’s press officer, Magdalena Pachocka.
Stanczak’s friend told us that tension had grown in the area where the oil exploration was taking place, up in the northwest province close to the Afghanistan border. “The Polish and Chinese companies were the only ones left in the area. Before, there were US and French-British companies. But they left after the murder of Benazir Bhutto [last December]. This was a sign, I think,” he said.
He told us that Piotr Stanczak - who had been in Pakistan since the beginning of September - had described to him the security arrangement for the workers of the company in Pakistan when on field trips.
"Work starts in the morning. They set up the seismological apparatus and make contact with the rest of the crew which is working in the field. The seismological data is collected throughout the day, right through until dusk. At night, everyone is obliged to return to base camp and is not allowed to voluntarily leave the camp during night hours.
"Generally there are around 100 soldiers in the camp, depending on who's working there and on what project. The rule is: one guard, one Pole. It was always like that. All guards are just one step behind to make sure nothing happens."
GK has been operating in Pakistan since 1998 and specializes in explosive seismic projects.
Four detained
Pakistani police detained four people connected with the kidnap, Poland’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed on its website, Sunday.
According to spokesperson for the ministry, Piotr Paszkowski, the arrests were made in the Attock province.
After being interrogated, two of the arrested were set free, the remaining two are still being questioned. The foreign ministry indicated that the arrested men could have had contact with the perpetrators of the kidnapping though it is thought that they were not directly involved in the abduction.
The police in Attock province are convinced that the Polish engineer was taken in co-operation with locals.
The Iranian IRNA agency reported on Friday that the Taliban had claimed responsibility for kidnapping the Pole. The agency informed that the Taliban want to exchange Stanczak for prisoners captured by Pakistani authorities during fighting in the Bajaur, Swat and Darra regions in the lawless northwest region of the country.
Additional reporting by Magdalena Jensen and John Beauchamp