-Afghan Ambassador’s daughter case
-IGP Islamabad says team formed to probe complete episode
-FM says PM personally monitoring the matter and probe will be completed soon
-Assures Afghan counterpart of bringing culprits to justice
-Asks Kabul to revisit Ambassador’s withdrawal decision
-NSA claims Pakistan being targeted through hybrid warfare
-Islamabad calls Kabul Envoy for consultations
By Our Diplomatic
Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: Capital Police have said that they found no evidence that the daughter of Afghanistan ambassador was tortured and kidnapped from the capital city.
Addressing a press conference, flanked by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and National Security Adviser Moeed Yusuf, in Islamabad on Monday, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Qazi Jameelur Rehman said that the authorities have formed several teams to probe the matter.
He revealed that police interviewed more than 200 people in the case after examining the footage obtained through close circuit TV cameras. “The woman first leaves from her home on feet, then she hires a taxi from Rana Market and heads to Khadda Market. We subsequently identified the taxi and located its driver and interrogated him,” the IGP said.
He continued that Silsila then hired a second cab from Khadda Market that took her to Rawalpindi. “Similarly we traced the second taxi and its driver confirmed that he picked up the woman from the market and dropped her off at Saddar, Rawalpindi. We also obtained its footage,” he added. The envoy’s daughter then hailed another cab from Rawalpindi to reach Daman-i-Koh. “Upon reaching there, she hired a fourth taxi for F-9, but made a brief stopover at F-6,” he said.
According to the IGP, the driver of this taxi told police that the woman asked him to stop the car at F-6, and made a phone call to someone, but it could not go through. She then asked to be taken to F-9, the police chief said.
After the cab finally reached F-9, he said, the woman called someone at the embassy and the staffer picked her up from there.
The IGP said Silsila had contended that she did not visit Rawalpindi, but her claim was disputed by the CCTV footage.
Police have sought further assistance from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address a few points in the case, Rehman added.
Speaking during Monday’s news conference, FM Qureshi said Prime Minister Imran Khan is personally monitoring the situation and Pakistan will take the investigation to its logical conclusion at the earliest.
Afghanistan wants to send its investigation team to check security environment, said the foreign minister.
“We have beefed up the security of Afghan consulates and diplomatic staff in Pakistan, Qureshi added.
He said he had requested his Afghan counterpart to review their decision of recalling their ambassador.
“We don’t have any intention to hide anything… we need their [Afghanistan’s] cooperation to take the investigation to its logical conclusion,” he added.
FM Quresi further said the Afghan authorities wanted to send their investigators to check the “security environment” in Pakistan and Islamabad has responded in affirmative to their request.
Speaking on the occaion, NSA Yusuf said Pakistan was facing “hybrid warfare” as Indian verified social media accounts had been found involved sharing false picture of the Afghan envoy’s daughter. He said the aim of Indian propaganda is to create rifts between Islamabad and Kabul. The NSA also quoted EU Disinfolab report which exposed Indian network to malign Pakistan at international fora.
The NSA said same social media accounts, which spread propaganda related to Kashmir and Balochistan, had been found involved in fanning fake news regarding the purported abduction saga. Moeed said “some spoilers of peace” were trying to make Pakistan a scape goat of their failures and they were trying to establish false narrative that Pakistan and Afghanistan are eternal enemies.
Earlier in the day, the government has called back the Pakistani 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. According to the FO, Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul Mansoor Ahmad Khan arrived in Islamabad on Sunday evening.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Qureshi informed his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Haneef Atmar that the security of the Afghan embassy and consulate in Pakistan had been further enhanced. The development comes a day after the Afghanistan government decided to withdraw its ambassador and senior diplomats from Pakistan, a move that Islamabad termed as “unfortunate and regrettable”.
The decision by Kabul to recall its ambassador in Islamabad and other diplomats came in reaction to the reported abduction of the envoy’s daughter on July 16. Pakistan termed the Afghan government’s decision “unfortunate”, “regrettable” and “disappointing”, with Foreign Minister Shah Mah¬mood Qureshi expressing the hope that the Afghan authorities would review their stance as Pakistan had assured the ambassador of full cooperation in the investigation.
