July 19, 2021: The Pakistan Foreign Ministry called the Afghan government’s decision to recall senior diplomats from its embassy in Islamabad “unfortunate and regrettable” after the Afghan ambassador’s daughter was allegedly abducted in Islamabad last week.

In a statement issued late Sunday, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said the incident was being investigated “at the highest level”.

“The decision by the Government of Afghanistan to recall its ambassador and senior diplomats from Pakistan is unfortunate and regrettable,” said the statement.

The statement said that Sohail Mahmood, Pakistan’s top foreign ministry official, met with Najib Alikhail, Afghanistan’s ambassador to Pakistan, on Sunday. “We hope the Afghan government will reconsider its decision.” Earlier on Sunday, the Afghan government announced its decision to withdraw the ambassador and other senior diplomats from the Pakistani capital, Islamabad.

The move came after a “strong protest” was lodged with Pakistan’s ambassador to Kabul, Mansoor Ahmad Khan.

The Afghan government says unknown assailants on Friday abducted the Afghan ambassador’s daughter, Silsila Alikhail, for several hours and “severely tortured” her. On Sunday, however, Pakistan’s interior minister expressed skepticism about the Afghan government’s actions. “She was not abducted, we have simply registered a case where she says she was abducted,” Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed told Pakistani television news channel Geo News.

Ahmed said Pakistani authorities traced Alikhel’s phone to at least four locations, where security camera footage showed him riding in several taxis. He said the owners or drivers of at least three taxis were in Pakistani custody.

Ahmed also alleged that Alikhel had deleted the contents of her mobile phone during the interrogation before handing it over to authorities.

The incident is a fresh blow to relations between South Asian neighbors, who have been embroiled in tensions in recent weeks. Top Afghan officials, including Afghan President Ashraf Ghani, have accused Pakistan of supporting the Afghan Taliban in its armed pressure against the Afghan government.

Afghanistan recalls envoy, diplomats from Pakistan over abduction

Pakistan has denied the allegations, with Prime Minister Imran Khan vowing in a meeting with Ghani on Friday that “instability and conflict are not in Pakistan’s interest”.

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