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Pakistan says needs Afghan cooperation for probe into envoy’s daughter’s kidnapping
Pakistan said on Monday it was waiting for information from the Afghan government in an investigation into the brief kidnapping of the Afghan ambassador’s daughter in Islamabad after Afghanistan raised questions over the credibility of the probe.
Silsila Alikhil, 26, the daughter of Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan, told Pakistani police she was assaulted and held for several hours by unknown assailants on Friday, following which Kabul pulled out its diplomats from Islamabad.
“The investigation is ongoing and we are waiting for them to come and give their point of view; to say anything now would be premature,” Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a news conference on Monday in Islamabad.
Qureshi said Afghanistan should not have pulled out its ambassador and senior diplomats from Pakistan.
Earlier on Monday, Afghan Foreign Minister Haneef Atmar complained to Qureshi about the remarks of a senior Pakistani minister, according to a statement from Afghanistan’s ministry of foreign affairs.
“Atmar said unprofessional remarks and premature judgments could strongly affect bilateral relations and the credibility of the ongoing, and still incomplete, investigation,” it said.
On Sunday night, Pakistan’s Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid, to whom the Islamabad police reports, told Pakistani television channel Geo News that the probe so far had not shown that Alikhil was kidnapped.
“I want to tell the entire nation, this is an international racket, an international conspiracy,” he had said.
The Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences state hospital where Alikhil was treated had confirmed she had swelling and rope marks on the wrists and ankles as well as swelling in the brain’s rear occipital region.
Islamabad’s top police official, Inspector General Qazi Jamil-ur-Rehman, told reporters on Monday that more than 350 people were working on the case, and more than 700 hours of footage from more than 300 CCTV cameras had been examined.
Rehman said police had traced and questioned four men who drove taxis Alikhil took that day, but so far we’re not able to pinpoint when the kidnapping took place.
The incident has further eroded already frosty relations between the two neighbors at a time when Taliban insurgents have taken over territory in Afghanistan as U.S. troops withdraw.
Even the Taliban, whom Kabul alleges is supported by Pakistan – which Islamabad denies – expressed concern at the incident.
“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,” a Taliban spokesman, Suhail Shaheen, wrote on Twitter.
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Afghan and Iranian officials discuss expanding economic cooperation
Ahmad Jan Bilal, General Director of State-Owned Corporations, met on Tuesday with Iran’s Ambassador to Kabul, Ali Reza Bikdeli, to discuss expanding bilateral economic cooperation and following up on issues raised during his recent visit to Iran.
According to a statement from the General Directorate of State-Owned Companies, the meeting focused on reviewing ways to implement discussions held with Iranian officials during Bilal’s visit.
Bikdeli described the visit as positive and productive, stressing the importance of following up on the issues discussed and taking practical steps to advance bilateral cooperation.
He said Iran is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan in oil and gas exploration, extraction and exports, refinery construction, agriculture, water and electricity.
Bilal, for his part, said the Islamic Emirate is interested in expanding joint cooperation with Iran in energy, agriculture, industrial development and other economic sectors. He added that his office would work with the Iranian side to turn the proposed areas of cooperation into practical initiatives.
Bilal also reaffirmed his office’s commitment to following up on the issues discussed during his recent visit to Iran and working towards their implementation in coordination with Iranian officials.
Bilal recently visited Iran at the head of a delegation, holding talks with several Iranian officials on expanding economic, trade and investment ties, particularly in the state-owned companies sector.
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Ariana Airlines reduces Kabul–Islamabad–Kabul airfares by $20
Ariana Afghan Airlines announced on Tuesday a reduction in ticket prices for flights on the Kabul–Islamabad–Kabul route from $190 to $170.
According to the airline, passengers can now purchase tickets for this route at $20 less than the previous fare.
The airline has also set a special fare of $150 for students travelling on this route.
Ariana Afghan Airlines said the move aims to reduce travel costs and make air travel more affordable and accessible for passengers and students.
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Afghanistan and Russia discuss expanding economic ties and boosting bilateral trade
During the meeting, Muttaqi stressed that Afghanistan and Russia should expand economic cooperation based on shared interests and mutual benefits.
Afghanistan’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi has met with Zamir Kabulov, Russian President’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, to discuss strengthening bilateral relations, expanding economic cooperation and increasing trade between the two countries.
During the meeting, Muttaqi stressed that Afghanistan and Russia should expand economic cooperation based on shared interests and mutual benefits.
Kabulov, meanwhile, praised the Islamic Emirate’s efforts to combat drug trafficking and cultivation, saying reports by some international organisations on the issue do not reflect the realities on the ground.
Muttaqi reiterated that the Islamic Emirate remains committed to combating drug cultivation, production and trafficking, describing these efforts as important for the security and stability of both Afghanistan and the wider region.
The meeting comes amid continued efforts by Kabul and Moscow to strengthen diplomatic and economic engagement and explore opportunities for broader bilateral cooperation.
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