KIDNAPPED PAK DIPLOMATS RECOVERED IN AFGHANISTAN

ISLAMABAD : Two Pakistani diplomats who had been kidnapped were recovered from captivity by Afghan security forces and handed over to the Pakistan embassy in Kabul.

President Ashraf Ghani broke protocol to phone the Pakistan charge d'affaires to convey the news of the recovery of the duo employed in the Pakistani consulate in Jalalabad.

Jan Khan and Muhammad Ejaz were abducted in Afghanistan’s restive Nangarhar province on June 16 while travelling from Jalalabad to Torkham.

Afghan officials informed the local media that their security forces on Wednesday conducted a successful intelligence-based operation and recovered the two.

Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal had earlier assured the Pakistan government that Afghanistan's security institutions and intelligence agencies were looking for the officials.

Pakistani foreign secretary Tehmina Janjua conveyed the Pakistani government's gratitude over the recovery of the staffers to Afghan deputy foreign minister Hekmat Karzai.

The officials were expected to be flown back to Pakistan as soon as possible. Their recovery marked a welcome news among the strained relations between the two countries.

Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to Afghan Taliban commanders based within its borders and of supporting the militant group, something Islamabad denies.