Originally posted by the Voice of America.
Voice of America content is produced by the Voice of America,
a United States federal government-sponsored entity, and is in
the public domain.


Pakistani Diplomats Go Missing on 70-km Drive Home

by Reuters

   ISLAMABAD --

   Two Pakistani diplomats based in a consulate office in the eastern
   Afghan city of Jalalabad have been missing since Friday, when they set
   off by road back to their homeland, Pakistan's foreign office said
   Sunday.

   Islamabad did not speculate who may be behind the disappearances, but
   various Afghanistan-based Islamist groups have targeted diplomats in
   the past.

   "Pakistan has requested the Afghan Government that all efforts may be
   made to ensure early recovery of our officials and bring the
   perpetrators of this heinous crime to justice," the foreign ministry
   said in a statement.

   Afghanistan had formed three different investigating groups to probe
   the incident.

   Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have been tense in recent years,
   with both countries accusing each other of not doing enough to tackle
   Pakistani and Afghan Taliban militants.

   Afghanistan has accused Pakistan of turning a blind eye to Afghan
   Taliban commanders based within its borders and of supporting the
   militant group, something Islamabad denies.

   Islamabad has claimed that Kabul is not doing enough to tackle
   Pakistani Taliban militants who have been driven out of Pakistan, but
   who still carry out attacks across the border.

   Jalalabad, the provincial capital of Nangarhar province, is a busy
   trading hub about 70 kilometers (43 miles) from the main border
   crossing with Pakistan, from which landlocked Afghanistan imports much
   of its goods.

   The province is home to various Islamist groups, including Pakistani
   and Afghan Taliban. In recent years the Islamic State has also
   established a presence in Nangarhar.