Islamabad: An Iranian diplomat and his driver were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen on Thursday. The kidnapper ambushed the diplomat’s car and shot dead his personal guard, in the northwestern city of Peshawar.
The commercial attache in the Iranian Consulate General in Peshawar, Hashmatullah Atharzadeh, was travelling from his home to office when his car was intercepted by the gunmen in the posh Hayatabad area on the outskirts of the city.
The gunmen shot dead Atharzadeh's armed guard before taking him and his driver away. The Iranian Consulate General confirmed that Atharzadeh had been abducted.
No group has claimed responsibility for the incident.
Hayatabad is located adjacent to Jamrud sub-district of the troubled Khyber Agency, where the Pakistani Taliban is active. The Jamrud area also has several criminal gangs that carry out kidnappings for ransom.
Afghanistan's ambassador-designate Abdul Khaleq Farahi was kidnapped from Hayatabad on September 22 by militants who shot dead his driver.
It is believed that Farahi, who was serving as the Afghan Consul General in Peshawar at the time of his abduction, is being held by the Taliban in Pakistan's lawless tribal belt. Militants yesterday shot dead American aid worker Stephan Vance and his driver in a high-security area in Peshawar.
The killings sparked tension in the city and several aid workers from the US and other Western nations were shifted by authorities from Peshawar to Islamabad.
Comments
0 comment