Atmar tells Qureshi ‘premature’ remarks on alleged abduction are concerning

Afghan Foreign Minister Hanif Atmar spoke Monday with Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi about the investigation into the alleged abduction of the daughter of Afghanistan’s ambassador to Islamabad, and expressed his concerns over the remarks made by the country’s interior minister.

Atmar said unprofessional comments and premature judgments severely damage bilateral relations and the credibility of ongoing investigations.

According to a statement issued by the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Atmar said that Afghanistan is ready to cooperate with the government of Pakistan in advancing the investigation in order to apprehend and prosecute the perpetrators of the alleged crime and to ensure the security of Afghan political missions and diplomats in that country.

A delegation is also scheduled to visit Pakistan, where further steps will be taken regarding the return of the Afghan ambassador and diplomats in light of the delegation’s findings, the statement read.

MoFA said Qureshi said that the case of Silsila Alikhail, who was allegedly abducted in Islamabad for a brief period, will be pursued seriously.

Qureshi added that under the direct guidance of the Prime Minister Imran Khan, “the investigation into this matter will be completed soon and its implementation will be clear”.

Qureshi assured Atmar of the country’s efforts to ensure the security of Afghanistan’s political missions and diplomats, MoFA stated.

This comes after the Afghan ambassador and diplomats returned to Kabul over the weekend for security reasons.

By late Monday morning, the Pakistani ambassador to Kabul had in turn returned to Islamabad. The reasons for his return were not however made public.

On Sunday, Pakistan’s Minister for Interior Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed said no abduction had taken place.

According to him, this was “an international conspiracy. An agenda of RAW (India’s intelligence services)”.