Staff Reporter Islamabad
Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Mon-day urged the Afghanistan government to reconsider its decision of calling back its ambassador from Pakistan keeping in view Islamabad’s serious efforts to solve the issue of the alleged abduction of en-voy’s daughter.
FM Qureshi held a telephonic conversation with his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Haneef Atmar and assured him that the suspects involved the incident occurred on 16th of July will be apprehended soon. Pakistan government will take all possible steps to bring the suspects to justice at the earliest, he added. Qureshi said, “Ministry of Foreign Affairs is fully aware of the diplomatic norms.”
The foreign minister apprised his Afghan counter-part that the security of the Afghan embassy and consulate in Pakistan has been beefed up and hoped that the Afghan government will reconsider its deci-sion of calling back its ambassador and other senior diplomatic staff from Pakistan. During the telephonic conversation, the Afghan foreign minister thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan for his personal interest in the investigation into the incident.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s envoy to Afghanistan Man-soor Ahmed Khan arrived in Islamabad after Kabul called back its ambassador and senior diplomats in the federal capital. The top Pakistani diplomat in Kabul arrived via PIA flight PK 250.
He was given a demarche by the Afghan foreign ministry in response to the alleged kidnapping of the ambassador’s daughter in Islamabad. There’s no statement from the Foreign Office on why Mansoor Ahmed Khan has returned to the country.
“The reported abduction and assault of the ambas-sador’s daughter in Islamabad is being investigated and followed up at the highest level on the instruc-tions of the Prime Minister.
The security of the Am-bassador, his family, and personnel of the Embassy and Consulates of Afghanistan in Pakistan has been further beefed up,” the statement had said.
It had also said that the foreign secretary met the ambassador of Afghanistan, highlighted all the steps taken by the government in this context, and re-assured him of full cooperation.
