Daughter of Afghanistan's envoy abducted, tortured in Pakistan

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 July 16, 2021 and severely tortured by unknown individuals on her way home.

The statement said that after being released from the kidnappers' captivity, Silsila Alikhil is under medical care at the hospital.

'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.

Afghanistan MoFA called upon Pakistan to take 'immediate necessary actions to ensure full security of Afghanistan embassy and consulates as well as the immunity of the country's diplomats and their families in accordance with international treaties and conventions'.

'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.