Russian tourists allegedly harassed in Jamrud, police deny allegations

PESHAWAR: A Russian tourist couple was allegedly harassed in the Jamrud Tehsil of Khyber District, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

The Russian tourists alleged that on August 26, they were stopped by the police in Jamrud and some police personnel attempted to take a photograph of the female tourist, causing her immense distress.

However, the Khyber police have refuted the allegations, stating that the tourists were not mistreated.

Khyber district police in a press release said that the foreign couple was treated as guests and they were provided complete security and then safely transported to Peshawar.

The statement highlighted, “As per tribal traditions, the Khyber police shown them respect. On August 26, the foreign couple was on their way to Afghanistan without prior intimation. They were traveling in a regular taxi, and the crowd gathered around them upon seeing the foreign couple in the bazaar of Bab-e-Khyber.”

The statement said: “The police intervened promptly upon noticing the crowd surrounding the tourists, and requested them to present necessary documents. However, due to the language barrier with the Russian couple and their limited English proficiency, communication between them and the police was hindered. The crowd’s size and reaction left the couple feeling apprehensive, but no deliberate harassment attempt was made by anyone.”

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The statement said that “the foreign couple was separated from the crowd, they walked some distance, and then returned to their taxi before eventually leaving on foot and later proceeding in the taxi again. Given the prevailing security situation, they were taken to the Karkhano post in Khyber, and later, safely escorted to Peshawar, following established protocols.”

The Khyber police emphasised that immigration authorities at Torkham border denied them permission to enter Afghanistan due to “expired visas and incomplete documents.”

Consequently, they were brought back to Torkham and then taken to Peshawar under security escort.

“As tourists frequently enter and exit Khyber district, where they are provided police security, spreading baseless propaganda on social media to tarnish the image of the region, its tribes, and the police should be avoided,” the statement said.

Saad Bin Owais, a spokesperson for the KP Tourism Authority, stated that the Khyber police had returned the tourists as they intended to travel to Afghanistan. He also mentioned that the incident had been noted, and the secretary tourism had sought details from the home department.

The spokesperson further said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had conducting an inquiry, and appropriate action would be taken against any police personnel found guilty of misconduct.

On the other hand, Khyber District Police Officer Salim Abbas stated that there was no truth in the negative propaganda circulating on social media about the tourists.

DPO Abbas stated that the foreign tourists were escorted to Torkhan border safely under police security and from Torkham they were brought back to Peshawar safely. He explained that the foreign tourists’ visa had expired, leading the FIA to halt their border crossing.

He said that negative propaganda had been unleased against police on social media which was uncalled for.