Afghan envoy’s daughter kidnapped

Afghanistan on Saturday demanded full security for its diplomats in Pakistan after the daughter of the Afghan ambassador was briefly abducted and tortured by unidentified persons in Islamabad.

The Afghan foreign ministry summoned Pakistani ambassador Mansoor Ahmad Khan in Kabul to lodge a strong protest over what it described as a “grave incident”. The ministry also called on the Pakistan government to take “immediate

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action to identify and punish the perpetrators of this crime” and ensure the full security of Afghan diplomats and their families in line with international conventions.

Pakistan’s foreign office described the incident as an act of “manhandling” that occurred while the envoy’s daughter was riding in a rented vehicle on Friday. “Such incidents can and will not be tolerated,” the foreign office said. Islamabad police have launched an investigation, and the security of the Afghan envoy and his family has been beefed up.

The Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement that Silsila Alikhil, the daughter of Afghan envoy Najibullah Alikhil, was held for several hours by unidentified persons. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan states with deep regret that on July 16, 2021, the daughter of the Afghan ambassador to Islamabad Ms Silsila Alikhil, was abducted for several hours and severely tortured by unknown individuals on her way home,” it said.

“After being released from the kidnappers’ captivity, Ms Alikhil is under medical care at the hospital,” it said.

Reports said Silsila was kidnapped from Blue Area, a commercial district in the heart of Islamabad, at around 1.45pm Pakistan time. She was freed by her abductors at about 7pm with her hands and feet tied. Her wrists and ankles were swollen and there were other marks of injuries, the reports said.

This comes against the backdrop of strained ties between the two countries and Afghanistan’s accusation that Pakistan isn’t doing enough to nudge the Taliban to join peace talks to find a political settlement.