Afghanistan says its Pakistan envoy's daughter 'kidnapped, severely tortured'

Kabul: Afghanistan on Saturday strongly condemned the abduction of its envoy Najib Alikhil’s daughter in Pakistan and called upon Islamabad to identify and prosecute the perpetrators of the “heinous act” at the earliest. Afghanistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) stated with “deep regret” that the daughter of the Afghan ambassador to Islamabad, Silsila Alikhil, was abducted for several hours on 16 July, 2021 and “severely tortured” by unknown individuals on her way home. The statement said that after being released from the kidnappers’ captivity, Silsila is under medical care at the hospital. The Afghan foreign ministry summoned Pakistani ambassador Mansoor Ahmad Khan in Kabul to lodge a strong protest over what it described as a “grave incident”.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Afghanistan summoned the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to Kabul, Mansoor Ahmad Khan this afternoon and lodged a strong protest over the abduction of the daughter of Afghanistan's Ambassador to Islamabad. pic.twitter.com/DdicEloYE5

— ANI (@ANI) July 17, 2021

The ministry called on the Pakistan government to take “immediate action to identify and punish the perpetrators of this crime” and ensure the full security of Afghan diplomats and their families in line with international conventions. “The MoFA strongly condemns this heinous act and expresses its deep concern over the safety and security of diplomats, their families, and staff members of the Afghan political and consular missions in Pakistan,” it said. “While the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs is following the matter with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Pakistan, we urge the Pakistani government to identify and prosecute the perpetrators at the soonest possible time,” the statement said.