New low: MEA slams Pakistan for dragging India into Afghan envoy daughter's abduction row

The Ministry of External Affairs on Thursday slammed Pakistan into dragging India into the case related to the abduction and torture of the daughter of the Afghanistan envoy. Calling it shocking, India said that Pakistan has stooped to 'a new low' by denying victim's accounts.

Addressing the media in a press conference, the MEA reacted to to Pakistan Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed's remarks. The MEA said, "This is a shocking incident. However, since Pak Interior Minister has dragged India into it, I would like to say that even by their standards, Pakistan's denial of the victim's account is stooping to a new low."

Known to be a motormouth, Rasheed had earlier claimed that no kidnapping took place and called it an "international conspiracy" against Pakistan. He accused Afghanistan and India of defaming Islamabad by "distorting" the facts. The minister also said that no evidence of kidnapping of Afghan envoy Najibullah Alikhil's daughter was found by Pak officials. He claimed that efforts are being made to create misunderstandings between Pakistan and China.

Afghan FM tutors Qureshi

On July 21, Wednesday, Afghanistan Foreign Minister Mohammad Haneef Atmar tutored his Pakistani counterpart Shah Mahmood Qureshi and called Ahmed's remarks unprofessional and premature. He said that this could "strongly affect" bilateral ties between both nations. Following the incident, Afghanistan called back the their Ambassador and senior diplomats from Islamabad.

"An Afghan delegation will visit Pakistan, and subsequent actions will be taken regarding the return of the Afghan Ambassador and diplomats based on the delegation's assessments and findings," the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a media statement.

Afghanistan envoy Najibullah Alikhil's daughter Silsila Alikhail was kidnapped in Islamabad on July 16. She was freed several hours later. Afghanistan government's official statement stated that the envoy's daughter was tortured during captivity. Afghanistan demanded immediate action. However, no major investigation has been reported by Pakistan.

Image: AP/PTI