Afghan ambassador’s daughter wasn’t kidnapped at all: Pakistan minister

Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said Sunday that the daughter of Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan “wasn’t kidnapped at all” and the investigators have footage to prove it.

The minister told Geo News that Afghan Ambassador Najib Alikhil’s daughter Silsila Alikhil left her home on foot and took a taxi after arriving at Islamabad’s Khadda Market. She then took a taxi to Rawalpindi, he said,

“We have footage of her travel,” said Rasheed. “She first said they had taken away her phone. Later, when she gave investigators her phone, her Whatapps and cloud data had been deleted.”

The minister said the authorities wanted to fully support her and have lodged an FIR on her request. He added that the woman booked ordinary taxis for travel and not the online taxi service.

“They will run from the investigation,” claimed the minister. “They didn’t know that we had footage from Rawalpindi.”

The minister called it an “international conspiracy” and “RAW’s agenda to defame Pakistan in the world.

Kidnapping

The daughter of the ambassador was abducted for several hours and tortured by unidentified men in Islamabad on Thursday.

She was moved to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences after the assault. Dr Waseem Khawaja, a spokesperson for the hospital, confirmed to SAMAA Digital that the ambassador’s daughter was brought to the hospital and she had “rope marks” on her wrists and ankles.

The medical report, which is available with SAMAA Digital, says that the 26-year-old was kidnapped around 1:45pm and released at 7pm. There were marks of ropes on her wrist and ankles and swelling.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan condemned the heinous act and expressed “its deep concern over the safety and security of diplomats, their families, and staff members of the Afghan political and consular missions in Pakistan”.

It even called the Pakistan government to take immediate action to ensure full security of the Afghan Embassy and Consulates as well as the immunity of the country’s diplomats and their families in accordance with international treaties and conventions. It requested Pakistan to identify and prosecute the perpetrators.

Pakistan confirmed the torture. It said that the ambassador’s daughter was assaulted while riding a rented vehicle.

“Immediately after this disturbing incident was reported, the Islamabad police launched a thorough investigation,” the Foreign Office said. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and relevant security authorities are closely in contact with the Ambassador and his family and extending full support in the matter.”

The security of the ambassador and his family has been beefed up, while the law enforcement agencies are trying to trace and apprehend the culprits.

“The safety and security of the diplomatic missions, as well as the diplomats and their families, is of utmost importance. Such incidents can and will not be tolerated,” the FO statement added.

Afghanistan recalls diplomats from Pakistan

Afghanistan said Sunday it was recalling its ambassador to Islamabad and other senior diplomats over “security threats” after the top envoy’s daughter was briefly kidnapped in Islamabad this week.

“Following the abduction of the daughter of Afghan ambassador in Pakistan, the leadership of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan have recalled the Afghan envoy and other senior diplomats from Islamabad back to Kabul until all the security threats are removed,” the foreign ministry said in a statement Sunday, demanding the arrest and prosecution of the kidnappers.

An Afghan delegation will visit Pakistan to assess the situation after which “more steps will be taken,” Afghanistan’s foreign ministry added.