ISLAMABAD: The Afghan Taliban on Monday urged the Pakistan government to “arrest and punish” those involved in the reported abduction of the Afghan envoy’s daughter last week.
Silsila Alikhil, the daughter of Afghan envoy Najibullah Alikhil, was abducted in the middle of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on Friday, held for several hours and brutally attacked, officials in both countries said on Saturday.
Suhail Shaheen, the political office spokesman for international media for the Afghan Taliban, condemned the incident in a tweet.
“The kidnapping of an Afghan girl in Pakistan is against humanity and an aggression which we condemn,” Shaheen said. “We urge the government of Pakistan to step up its efforts to arrest and punish the perpetrators so that such acts do not give rise to hate between the two nations and the spoilers don’t have ground to misuse it.”
Pakistan authorities are currently investigating the reported abduction, with Prime Minister Imran Khan having issued special directions to the interior minister to nab the culprits as soon as possible.
Following the incident, the Afghan government announced it was withdrawing its ambassador and senior diplomats from Pakistan, a move that Islamabad has termed as “unfortunate and regrettable.”
“The reported abduction and assault of the ambassador’s daughter in Islamabad is being investigated and followed up at the highest level on the instructions of the prime minister,” the foreign office said on Sunday night. “The security of the ambassador, his family and personnel of the embassy and consulates of Afghanistan in Pakistan has been further beefed up.”
Taliban urge Pakistan to ‘arrest, punish’ culprits behind assault on Afghan envoy’s daughter
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Taliban urge Pakistan to ‘arrest, punish’ culprits behind assault on Afghan envoy’s daughter
- Say Pakistan should take action so “such acts do not give rise to hate between two nations, spoilers don’t have ground to misuse it”
- Following the incident, Afghan government announced it was withdrawing its ambassador and senior diplomats from Pakistan
Pakistan arrests two suspected human smugglers amid ongoing crackdown
- Islamabad has intensified crackdown on human trafficking after multiple boat tragedies involving Pakistani migrants in recent years
- This week, crew members of humanitarian rescue ship Ocean Viking rescued several Pakistanis among 44 migrants off the coast of Libya
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested two human smugglers from the eastern province of Punjab, the agency said on Sunday, as part of an ongoing nationwide crackdown to dismantle trafficking networks and curb illegal migration.
Islamabad has intensified its crackdown on human trafficking networks after multiple boat tragedies resulted in its citizens getting killed in recent years. This week, crew members of humanitarian rescue ship Ocean Viking rescued Pakistanis among 44 migrants off Libya’s coast.
The FIA said it had conducted raids in Punjab’s Okara and Mianwali districts and arrested two suspects involved in visa fraud and human smuggling, who had swindled a few individuals out of Rs1.15 million ($4,142) on pretext of sending them to Oman.
“The suspects had gone into hiding after receiving money from citizens,” the agency said in a statement. “An investigation has been launched after the arrest of the suspects.”
Several Pakistanis attempt the dangerous and illegal journey each year in a bid to escape surging inflation and opt for a better life as the cash-strapped country navigates a tricky path to economic recovery from a macroeconomic crisis.
In 2023, hundreds of migrants, including 262 Pakistanis, drowned when an overcrowded vessel sank in international waters off the southwestern Greek town of Pylos, marking one of the deadliest boat disasters ever recorded in the Mediterranean Sea.
Other incidents have also seen Pakistani migrants perish in shipwrecks off Italy, Tunisia and Libya, highlighting the persistent risks faced by people attempting irregular sea crossings to Europe.
Pakistani authorities have repeatedly urged citizens not to undertake such perilous journeys, while international agencies warn that smugglers continue to exploit economic hardship and conflict to lure migrants onto unsafe boats.
