Islamabad: Pakistani officials have extended full cooperation and provided facilitation to the visiting Afghan investigating team over an alleged attempt to kidnap the daughter of Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan on July 16.
Pakistan has formally conveyed to Afghanistan that the thorough investigation concluded that the complainant had not fully reported the incident and the evidence does not support her account in the first information report.
The Afghan delegation visited Islamabad in connection with the reported complaint of daughter of Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan, according to Pakistan Foreign Office statement said.
The delegation was informed that Pakistan’s law-enforcement agencies had carried out detailed and thorough investigation into the complaint and a comprehensive witness account led to the conclusion that the findings on the ground did not corroborate the police statement and report by Silsila Alikhel. “This was further substantiated by the technical evidence”, the official statement added.
During the visit in the first week of August, the Afghan delegation met the Pakistani law-enforcement agencies and Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials, during which it received a comprehensive briefing on all aspects of investigation conducted by the relevant authorities. The Afghan officials also visited the Safe City Office in Islamabad, where they were shown several video footages from various locations at different times on July 16 in which “the complainant was clearly identifiable moving around the places independently.”
In addition to the detailed briefing, the Afghan delegation was also allowed to conduct an on-site visit of all the locations visited by Silsila. The visiting delegation was also given a presentation of technical data (findings of mobile forensic/geo fencing) as well. Pakistani authorities reiterated the earlier request to provide additional information, and access to evidence and the complainant, which was not made available.
Soon after the incident, the Afghan government immediately withdrew its diplomatic staff from Pakistan and Ambassador’s daughter reported shifted to Germany.
The Afghan envoy’s daughter had claimed that some unidentified people had tried to kidnap her and manhandle her.
In a press briefing earlier, Inspector General of Police (IGP) Islamabad Qazi Jamil ur Rehman said that the police “scrutinised 300 CCTV cameras in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, viewed more than 700 hours of recording and interviewed 220 people including all four drivers” which helped the police track the complete route that the envoy’s daughter took. He had stressed that “it will not be possible to conclude the investigation without the cooperation of the victim.”
Meanwhile, Pakistan also informed the Afghan officials about fresh measures taken for enhanced security of the Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad and its Consulates. The official statement reiterated that “Pakistan attaches high importance to its relations with Afghanistan” and noted that “at this critical juncture in the Afghan peace process, it is extremely important to work jointly for the shared objective of a peaceful, stable and prosperous Afghanistan”.
Pakistani officials expressed hope that the Embassy of Afghanistan in Islamabad would soon resume its normal operations.
