Afghan official missing in Pak
Islamabad, July 29: Pakistani authorities are trying to trace an official of the Afghan consulate in Quetta who went missing in the restive Balochistan province, officials said on Monday. Mohammad Hashim, a Pakistani national of Afghan origin, was working in the passport section of Afghan Consulate in Quetta. He went missing on July 25.
“We are trying our best to locate him,” said Khan Wasseh, spokesman of paramilitary Frontier Corp. Balochistan, which controls the law and order in the province battered by a series of sectarian and militant attacks in recent months.
Hashim’s son Siddiqullah lodged a report with the police about his disappearance, saying his father left for office but neither reached there nor came back.
Afghan consul- general Ghulam Mohammed Bahadur confirmed that the official was missing, the Dawn reported on Monday.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan are under stress due to differences over the opening of Taliban office in tiny Gulf state of Qatar.
But, there was thaw in sight after visit of Pakistan national security adviser to Kabul in July.
Mr Karzai also expected to visit Pakistan in near future to discuss the ties and cooperation.
is Islamabad, July 29: US Secretary of State John Kerry, who had earlier postponed his visit to Pakistan, is expected to arrive here on July 31 on his first trip to hold meetings with the country’s top political and military leadership.
Mr Kerry had accepted an invitation to visit Pakistan, extended to him by Sartaj Aziz, adviser on national security and foreign affairs to the Pakistani PM, on the sidelines of the 20th ministerial meeting of the ASEAN Regional Forum July 2.
The US secretary of state was previously expected to arrive in Pakistan on July 29.
However, the trip was later postponed after US officials said that he would visit Pakistan in “a few days time”.
A Pakistani official earlier said Mr Kerry’s visit was rescheduled at the request of the US after his original travel plan was leaked to the media.
The US authorities believed that the revelation of possible dates of Mr Kerry’s visit might compromise his security and they postponed the trip, diplomatic sources said.
Sources said secretary Kerry is expected to arrive in Pakistan on July 31 as the condition of his wife, who has suffered a stroke earlier in July, was improving.
According to the new itinerary, Mr Kerry would hold meetings with the Pakistan President, PM, and the adviser for national security and foreign affairs on August 1.