Afghan diplomat’s daughter abducted, freed in Pakistan

New Delhi, July 17

A day after Pakistan PM Imran Khan and Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani engaged in verbal skirmishes in Tashkent over the root of ongoing violence in the region, the daughter of the Afghanistan Ambassador to Pakistan was “briefly abducted” in Islamabad.

The 26-year-old was abducted in the middle of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad, held for several hours and brutally attacked while she was riding a rented vehicle, officials said. While Kabul has taken strong objection to the incident, the news sent Pakistani authorities scrambling with the Islamabad Police launching a “thorough investigation”. The Afghan foreign ministry issued a statement demanding a quick investigation, saying she was “severely tortured”.

A medical report said she suffered blows to her head, had rope marks on her wrists and legs and was badly beaten. There was a suspicion that she had several broken bones and X-rays were ordered, the report said. There were no details about the abduction itself or the circumstances of her release.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry and security authorities are closely in contact with the Ambassador and his family and extending full support in the matter, said a ministry statement. — TNS