Pakistani PM orders investigation into kidnapping of Afghan envoy's daughter

Undated photo of Silsila Alikhil, the daughter of Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan. Silsila was reportedly abducted while she was on her way home in Islamabad on Friday July 16, 2021. ( Photo courtesy: @NajibAlikhil/Twitter)
Short Url
Updated 18 July 2021
Follow

Pakistani PM orders investigation into kidnapping of Afghan envoy's daughter

  • PM orders law enforcers to investigate the incident on "top priority" and apprehend the kidnappers within 48 hours
  • Silsila Alikhil was admitted to Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad, is now in stable condition

ISLAMABAD/KABUL: Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered an investigation into the kidnapping of the daughter of Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan, the interior ministry said on Saturday, after reports of her abduction and torture.

According to Afghan authorities, Silsila Alikhil, the daughter of Ambassador Najibullah Alikhil, was on her way home in Islamabad on Friday when she was "abducted for several hours, severely tortured by unknown individuals."

She was admitted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences.

"Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed to utilize all resources to apprehend the persons involved in the kidnapping of the daughter of Afghan Ambassador in Islamabad," the interior minister's office said in a statement.

It added the PM ordered law enforcers to investigate the incident on "top priority" and "apprehend the culprits within 48 hours."




Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan, Najibullah Alikhil, speaks to Arab News at the Afghan embassy in Islamabad on Wednesday, May 5, 2021. (AN photo/File)

Islamabad police are investigating the case, Pakistan foreign office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri confirmed earlier in the day, and said the security of the ambassador and his family had been increased while law enforcers are pursuing the suspects.

Dr. Waseem Khawaja, spokesperson of PIMS, admitted marks of torture were found on Silsila's body, but she is now out of danger.

"She was out of danger and referred to specialists for further examination," he told Arab News. "She was brought under police supervision and treated for bruises on wrists and feet along with marks of torture on the body."

"Work on her medico-legal report is underway."

Afghanistan has condemned the incident, while its foreign ministry expressed "deep concern over the safety and security of diplomats, their families, and staff members of the Afghan political and consular mission in Pakistan."

In 2008, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan, Abdul Khaliq Farahi, was captured in his car in Peshawar and his driver was killed on the spot. Farahi was freed two years later.


Customs seize contraband, vehicles worth $1.1 million in Pakistan’s southwest

Updated 7 sec ago
Follow

Customs seize contraband, vehicles worth $1.1 million in Pakistan’s southwest

  • The contraband goods, including branded cigarettes and mobile phones, were seized in multiple operations in the Balochistan province
  • Smugglers have long exploited the southwestern province, which shares a porous border with Iran and Afghanistan, for illicit trade

KARACHI: Pakistan Customs seized contraband goods and vehicles in multiple anti-smuggling operations in the southwestern Balochistan province, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) said on Sunday.

In an intelligence-based operation (IBO), Customs officials seized 508 cartons (25,400 sticks) of assorted branded smuggled cigarettes valued at Rs200 million ($713,891), according to the FBR.

In separate operations, Quetta customs authorities seized a large number of smuggled mobile phones and 13 non-custom-paid (NCP) vehicles, with a combined assessed value of Rs117 million ($417,626).

“All seized items have been taken into official custody and further legal proceedings are being initiated under the relevant provisions of the Customs Act,” the FBR said in a statement.

It did not elaborate whether any arrests were made during the seizures.

The development comes amid Pakistan’s crackdown on smuggling of goods to support its over $400 billion economy. Smugglers have long exploited Pakistan’s Balochistan province, which shares a porous border with Iran and Afghanistan, for illicit trade of fuel, vehicles and other goods.

Earlier this month, Pakistan Customs seized narcotics, smuggled goods and vehicles worth a total of Rs1.38 billion [$4.92 million] in separate operations in Balochistan, according to the FBR.

“These operations are part of the [customs] collectorate’s intensified enforcement drive aimed at curbing smuggling and dismantling illegal trade networks,” the FBR said on Dec. 16.

The FBR on Sunday reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to curbing smuggling and illicit trade to safeguard the national economy.