Envoy kin kidnap no proof, say cops

Islamabad, July 19: Pakistan police on Monday said they have found no evidence that the daughter of Afghan ambassador was abducted from the capital city, an incident that has triggered a major diplomatic row between the two neighbouring nations.

Silsila Alikhil, the 26year-old daughter of Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan Najibullah Alikhil was abducted, tortured and assaulted on Friday by unknown persons in Islamabad. She was abducted while riding a rented vehicle and was held for several hours before being released.

She was found near F-9 Park area of the capital with torture marks on her body. Addressing a press conference along with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi and National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf, Islamabad Inspector General of Police (IGP) Qazi Jameelur Rehman said police had collected the video footage of all places visited by the envoy’s daughter that included the collected data of around 300 CCTV cameras in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

“We used all our resources for the investigation… and supported all law enforcement agencies,” he said, adding that the abduction was not proven yet. Rehman said police had analysed all footage of the movement of the ambassador’s daughter on the day of kidnapping, however, the “impression given (about her abduction) is not corroborated by the evidence we have collected”, the Dawn newspaper reported.

He said more than 220 people were interviewed and all footage analysed which showed her whereabouts. In a statement to police, Alikhil had said she went to buy a gift and hired a taxi. While coming back, the driver pulled over on the roadside after a five-minute drive and another man barged in who first shouted at her then started beating her.