John Solecki was the head of
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is a United Nations agency mandated to aid and protect refugees, forcibly displaced communities, and stateless people, and to assist in their voluntary repatriation, local integrati ...
(UNHCR) office in the Pakistani city of
Quetta
Quetta (; ur, ; ; ps, کوټه) is the tenth List of cities in Pakistan by population, most populous city in Pakistan with a population of over 1.1 million. It is situated in Geography of Pakistan, south-west of the country close to the ...
. Solecki had been working in Balochistan to help the Afghan refugees, the communities hosting them and the local people affected by floods and earthquakes.
Kidnapping and aftermath
On February 2, 2009, he was kidnapped by a Baloch terrorist group named
Balochistan Liberation United Front The Balochistan Liberation United Front (BLUF) is a Baloch nationalist Indian Supported militant organization in Pakistan. It first became known for claiming the kidnapping of American UNHCR worker John Solecki from Quetta on February 2, 2009. Th ...
(BLUF). His driver, Syed Hashim, was shot and later he died at a local hospital.
Solecki was held as a hostage by BLUF for 61 days.
While he was in their captivity, BLUF had repeatedly threatened to behead him.
Following the abduction of Solecki, United Nation Resident Representative, Fikret Akcura, disclosed that
Brahumdagh Bugti
Brahamdagh Khan Bugti or Brahumdagh Khan Bugti ( ur, براہمدغ خان بگٹی) is the founder and leader of the Political Organisation Baloch Republican Party, a Baloch nationalist group which broke away from his uncle Talal Akbar Bugti's ...
had connections with the abduction of UN official John Solecki in 2009. Similarly, United Nations Special Representative to Afghanistan,
Kai Eide
Kai Aage Eide (born 28 February 1949 in Sarpsborg) is a Norwegian diplomat and writer. He was appointed the United Nations Special Representative to Afghanistan and Head of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) on 7 March ...
, called the then President of Afghanistan
Hamid Karzai
Hamid Karzai (; Pashto/ fa, حامد کرزی, , ; born 24 December 1957) is an Afghan statesman who served as the fourth president of Afghanistan from July 2002 to September 2014, including as the first elected president of the Islamic Repub ...
. President Karzai admitted that Brahumdagh Bugti was in
Kabul
Kabul (; ps, , ; , ) is the capital and largest city of Afghanistan. Located in the eastern half of the country, it is also a municipality, forming part of the Kabul Province; it is administratively divided into 22 municipal districts. Acco ...
and that he will pressure Brahumdagh Bugti for the safe release of John Solecki. Pakistan Interior Minister
Rehman Malik
Abdul Rehman Malik NI (Punjabi, Urdu: رحمان ملک; born 12 December 1951 – 23 February 2022) was a Pakistani politician and a Federal Investigation Agency officer, having served as the Interior Minister from being appointed on 25 March ...
also believed that
Brahumdagh Bugti
Brahamdagh Khan Bugti or Brahumdagh Khan Bugti ( ur, براہمدغ خان بگٹی) is the founder and leader of the Political Organisation Baloch Republican Party, a Baloch nationalist group which broke away from his uncle Talal Akbar Bugti's ...
was behind the kidnapping of Solecki.
’سلیکی کے اغواء میں براہمداغ کا ہاتھ‘
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC
Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
, 22 April 2009
Solecki was eventually released on April 4, 2009. He was found on the side of the road in Khadkhutcha, 30 miles south of Quetta. His hands and feet were bounded when he was found.