Afghan envoy, daughter must cooperate: Qureshi
ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi says police have reached quite close to the result of investigations into the episode involving the daughter of Afghan ambassador in Islamabad.
“But for that, we need cooperation from the girl and the ambassador,” he told reporters on Wednesday.
“The FIR was registered as per her satisfaction.” Meanwhile, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid said the incident regarding the ‘abduction’ of Afghan ambassador’s daughter was a conspiracy to defame Pakistan.
“Investigation has proved to not be an abduction or kidnapping,” he said, adding that Pakistan was facing an “unannounced international hybrid war” by elements who want to malign the country and destabilse its relations with China and Afghanistan.
Rashid further said that the Islamabad police reviewed over 700 hours of footage from 300 cameras installed on the travelling route of the Afghan ambassador’s daughter, and interviewed over 200 citizens. “All four taxi drivers have no criminal record,” he said.
“The Afghan ambassador and his daughter should join the investigation process for the logical conclusion of the case as an FIR was lodged on her complaint,” Rashid said.
He added that the nefarious designs prepared by the country’s enemies would be foiled and Pakistan will continue its journey towards development under the leadership of Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The interior minister added that peace in Afghanistan was necessary for peace in Pakistan, adding that Islamabad would continue its efforts to establish peace in the neighbouring country without interfering in its internal affairs “Pakistan is a responsible country,” he said. The minister further assured that full security was being provided to all foreign diplomats.
Earlier on Monday, Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar complained to Qureshi about the remarks of a senior Pakistani minister, according to a statement from Afghanistan’s ministry of foreign affairs.
“Atmar said unprofessional remarks and premature judgments could strongly affect bilateral relations and the credibility of the ongoing, and still incomplete, investigation,” it said.
On Sunday night, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, to whom the Islamabad police reports, told Pakistani television channel Geo News that the probe so far had not shown that Alikhil was kidnapped.