A day after Afghanistan recalled its ambassador and other diplomatic staff from Islamabad, Pakistan also called back its ambassador to Afghanistan for ‘consultations’ regarding the alleged abduction and release of the Afghan envoy’s daughter in Islamabad, the Foreign Office said on Monday.
Pakistan’s Ambassador’s in Kabul was given a demarche by the Afghan foreign ministry in response to the alleged kidnapping of the ambassador’s daughter in Islamabad.
According to the FO, Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul Mansoor Ahmad Khan arrived in Islamabad Sunday evening. He will be holding discussions with the foreign secretary at the Foreign Office to discuss the matter. Discussions will also be held on the progress on the now-postponed Afghan peace conference.
Pakistan has termed the Afghan government’s decision to withdraw diplomatic staff ‘unfortunate’, ‘regrettable’ and ‘disappointing’, with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressing the hope that the Afghan authorities would review their stance as Pakistan had assured the ambassador of full cooperation in the investigation.
Ambassador Najibullah Alikhil’s daughter, Silsila, was reportedly abducted on Friday from Islamabad’s commercial area by unidentified persons. Sharing details of the investigation into the July 16 episode, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid had on Sunday disclosed that the ordeal the envoy’s daughter had narrated about her alleged kidnapping was contrary to her statement given to the police. He said there was evidence that the woman had gone to Rawalpindi and Damn-i-Koh before the said abduction, though she had denied it.
The alleged abduction was reported only a day after the Afghan president in his talk at the international conference in Uzbekistan had held Pakistan responsible for violence in Afghanistan, while Prime Minister Imran Khan in his speech particularly addressed President Ashraf Ghani to say it was ‘extremely unfair’ to blame Islamabad that had been making all-out efforts to ensure peace in its neighbouring country and the region.
