PESHAWAR: Two Pakistani diplomatic staff members of its Consulate General in Afghanistan went missing on June 16, 2017, while coming to Pakistan by road.
Nafees Zakriya, a spokesman for Foreign Office in Islamabad, told The News that two diplomatic members of Pakistan's Consulate General were based in Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Afghanistan's volatile Nangarhar province. "Two officials of our Consulate General Jalalabad have been missing since June 16, 2017 while commuting to Pakistan by road. The matter has been raised with the relevant Afghan authorities for their safety and recovery, at the earliest," the spokesman said.
He said that the Afghan government had been informed about the incident and their authorities were now making all efforts for their safe recovery.
The Afghanistan government has reportedly decided to probe the incident and has already constituted three distinct investigating groups to ensure safe recovery of the two missing Pakistani officials.
Nafees Zakriya said Pakistan had requested the Afghan government that all efforts might be made to ensure early recovery of the officials and bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice.
"We are in constant touch with the Afghan authorities in this regard to ensure safe recovery of our two officials," said the official.
According to other Pakistani officials, the two officials didn't reach Torkham border, a crossing point between the two countries, after they left the consulate general on Friday. “They went missing between Jalalabad and Torkham and are believed to be on Afghan soul," said one government official in Khyber tribal region that shares its long border with Nangarhar province.
There are speculations that they could either be picked by the Afghan security agents or militant groups fighting against Pakistan.
The News has received names of the two missing officials but didn’t publish on personal request of Pakistani officials, saying it might hurt their families.
A section of the Afghan media quoting Afghan security officials reported that three Pakistani officials had gone missing.
The two missing officials were working in Pakistan’s Consulate General in Afghanistan’s eastern troubled city of Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar province, also known as the stronghold of Islamic State militants and Pakistani and Afghan Taliban.
It is same area where Pakistani ambassador in Afghanistan was kidnapped by Taliban a few years ago and then freed after Pakistan released dozen of members of Pakistani and Afghan Taliban. No militant group has so far claimed responsibility for their kidnapping.
Kasuri urged authorities of Pakistan and China to pull their resources to defeat forces seeking to disrupt the...
IHC said that several people had not returned the cipher copies they had, and asked if it meant it was right for the...
Gilani gave floor to Leader of Opposition Syed Shibli Faraz, who insisted that with unity they could take country...
Match witnessed intense action and dramatic twists, keeping fans on the edge of their seats until the final ball
Apex court bench was reconstituted after Justice Yahya Afridi recused himself from hearing the case earlier this month
ECP issued a notification in this connection pursuant to orders passed by LHC