Afghan investigators arrive in Islamabad to probe alleged assault of envoy's daughter

Policemen ride past the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad on July 19, 2021. (AFP)
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Updated 01 August 2021
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Afghan investigators arrive in Islamabad to probe alleged assault of envoy's daughter

  • Silsila Alikhil said she was abducted in the middle of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on July 16
  • PM Imran Khan said in a TV program on Sunday he would personally follow the case, as if Alikhil were his 'own daughter'

ISLAMABAD: Afghan investigators arrived in Islamabad late Sunday to probe an alleged assault of Afghanistan ambassador's daughter, Afghan and Pakistani officials confirmed.

Silsila Alikhil, the daughter of Afghan envoy Najibullah Alikhil, has said she was abducted in the middle of the Pakistani capital of Islamabad on July 16, held for several hours and brutally attacked.

A medical report after Alikhil was admitted to the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad said she had suffered blows to her head, had rope marks on her wrists and legs and was beaten.

While Pakistani authorities are investigating the incident, police said evidence collected did not “corroborate” the kidnaping claim.

As the Kabul government had closed its Islamabad embassy over the case, the probe by Afghan officials will decide whether the country's mission would continue operations or not, a senior diplomat at the embassy told Arab News.

“The leadership will take a decision whether or not to reopen the embassy on the basis of their findings,” the diplomat said, requesting anonymity.

A senior Pakistani intelligence source confirmed the arrival of the four-member investigation team.

“An Afghan delegation arrived in Islamabad Sunday night for the investigation of the incident occurred with the daughter of the Afghan ambassador,” he said.

Members of the Afghan delegation, which consists of officials from the foreign ministry and security agencies, will start talks with Pakistani investigators on Monday.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a TV program on Sunday he would personally follow the case, as if Alikhil were his "own daughter."


Bangladesh approves new rice imports from Pakistan amid price pressures

Updated 23 December 2025
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Bangladesh approves new rice imports from Pakistan amid price pressures

  • The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year ⁠for the first time since independence in 1971
  • Diplomatic ties between the two nations have improved since the ouster of prime minister Sheikh Hasina after mass protests last year

DHAKA: Bangladesh has approved the import of 50,000 metric tons of white rice from Pakistan under a government-to-government deal as ​part of efforts to stabilize domestic prices, officials said on Tuesday.

The Cabinet Committee on Government Purchase cleared the deal at $395 per ton, reinforcing Dhaka’s renewed trade engagement with Islamabad.

Rice prices in Bangladesh have jumped by between 15 percent and 20 percent over ‌the past ‌year, with medium-quality ‌rice ⁠selling ​at about ‌80 taka ($0.66) per kilogram. Despite increased imports and the removal of duties to ease supply constraints, prices for the staple grain remain stubbornly high.

The deal follows Bangladesh’s resumption of direct rice trade with Pakistan earlier this year ⁠for the first time since independence in 1971. In ‌February, it imported 50,000 ‍tons of rice from ‍Pakistan at $499 per ton under a ‍similar agreement.

Diplomatic ties between the two South Asian nations have improved since an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus took office after ​mass protests forced then prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee to neighboring ⁠India last year.

Formerly East Pakistan, Bangladesh gained independence after a nine-month war in 1971, and relations with Pakistan have remained fraught in the decades since the conflict.

Separately, the government approved another 50,000 tons of parboiled rice through an international tender, part of a series of recent purchases aimed at cooling local prices. India’s Pattabhi Agro Foods secured ‌the contract with the lowest bid of $355.77 per ton.