Two Pakistani diplomats ‘missing’ in Afghanistan since Friday
Two Pakistani diplomats ‘missing’ in Afghanistan since Friday
Reuters and Webdesk
Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani diplomats based in a consulate office in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad have been missing since Friday. the Foreign Office said on Sunday.

ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani diplomats based in a consulate office in the eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad have been missing since Friday. the Foreign Office said on Sunday.

They went missing after they set off by road back to their homeland,

The foreign ministry did not speculate who may be behind the disappearances but various Afghanistan-based militant groups have targeted diplomats in the past.

“Pakistan has requested the Afghan government that all efforts may be made to ensure early recovery of our officials and bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice,” the foreign ministry said in a statement.

Afghan authorities informed the government that efforts were being made to probe the incident, it added. “Three distinct investigating groups have been constituted to ensure safe recovery of the officials”

Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have been tense in recent years, with both countries accusing each other of not doing enough to tackle Pakistani and Afghan Taliban militants.

Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to Afghan Taliban commanders based within its borders and of supporting the militant group, something Islamabad denies.

Islamabad has claimed that Kabul is not doing enough to tackle Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) militants who have been driven out the country, but who still carry out attacks across the border.

Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar province, is a busy trading hub about 70km from the main border crossing with Pakistan, from which landlocked Afghanistan imports much of its goods.

The province is home to various terrorist groups, including TTP and Afghan Taliban. In recent years the Islamic State, also known as Da’ish, has also established a presence Nangarhar.