The Afghan government said today, Saturday, that the daughter of the Afghan ambassador to Pakistan was briefly kidnapped and mistreated by unknown persons.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement that Silsila Ali Khel was on her way to her home when she was detained for several hours and subjected to “severe torture”, without giving further details about her kidnapping in Islamabad yesterday.
“After the kidnappers released her, Miss (Silsilah) Ali Khel is undergoing medical care in the hospital,” the ministry added, calling for an investigation and protection for Afghan diplomats.
For its part, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the Afghan embassy informed it of the assault on the daughter of the Afghan ambassador while she was riding in a rented car. She added that the police were investigating this “disturbing incident” and that security measures had been tightened for the ambassador and his family.
Relations between the two neighbors, Pakistan and Afghanistan, have been cold for a long time. Kabul accuses Pakistan of allowing safe havens for Taliban militants. For its part, Islamabad accuses Afghanistan of allowing extremists to use its territory to carry out attacks in Pakistan. Both deny the charges.
In another context, the Pakistani Foreign Ministry announced, on Friday, ponement of the Afghan peace conference until after Eid al-Adha.
The ministry said in a statement that the new date for the conference will be announced later.
On Thursday, Foreign Ministry spokesman Zahid Hafeez Chaudhry announced that Pakistan will host the peace conference on Afghanistan between July 17-19.
Clashes are escalating between Afghan security forces and the Taliban movement in conjunction with the withdrawal of US forces from the country, which is scheduled to be completed by August 31, according to US President Joe Biden.
