PESHAWAR/ISLAMABAD The Afghan officials on Thursday handed over the body of a senior Pakistani police officer to the Pakistani authorities, days after he was abducted from Islamabad and his corpse was found in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province.
Superintendent of Police (Peshawar) Tahir Khan Dawar left his residence in Islamabad for an evening walk on October 27 but did not return home. He was presumed abducted by militants in Islamabad – one of the safest cities in Pakistan.
His mobile phone’s last location was traced somewhere in Jhelum city of Pakistan’s Punjab province. After being contacted, he said that he was fine and there was no threat to his life.
However, his body was found in Nangarhar province in Afghanistan by the local people on Tuesday.
A Pakistani delegation comprising Minister of State for Interior Shehryar Afridi, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai, Member of National Assembly Mohsin Dawar received the officer’s body at Torkham point after negotiation with the Afghan officials and tribal jirga.
The body of Dawar was taken to Landi Kotal from where it was airlifted to Peshawar for burial.
His abductors had released a picture of him along with a letter of the Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan’s Khurasani group, claiming responsibility for the kidnapping and the killing.
Tekreek-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesman Khalid Khurasani has denied his group’s involvement in the kidnapping and murder of the officer.
KP Information Minister Yusafzai said that Dawar was ruthlessly killed by his abductors in Afghanistan. He was in captivity for 18 days.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday ordered an “immediate inquiry” into the murder of Dawar.
“Have followed the shocking tragedy of the murder of SP Tahir Khan Dawar and ordered Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa government to coordinate with Islamabad police in holding an inquiry immediately,” Khan tweeted.
He added that Minister of State for Interior Shahryar Afridi has been tasked to “oversee it with an urgency and present the report” to him.
Meanwhile, Afridi criticised the Afghan authorities for causing a delay in handing over Dawar’s body, saying “We will take up the issue diplomatically within the legal framework with the Afghan authorities”.
“We were made to wait at Torkhum border point for more than two hours… but the Afghan authorities refused to hand over the body, saying they would give it to the tribal jirga and not to the government team,” he said.
He also expressed concern over Afghanistan’s refusal to hand over the body to Pakistan’s Consul General in Jalalabad.
Afridi accused the Afghan authorities of trying to play politics over the issue of handing over the body.
“A responsible officer was killed and Afghan government was trying to negotiate over the matter. Delay in handing over of the dead body was aimed at creating unrest in Pakistan,” he added.
Earlier, Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali Khan in a statement on Thursday said the government should investigate and share details behind abduction and crossing of Dawar and his abductors to Afghanistan.
The abduction and killing of Dawar has raised questions over competency of security agencies, Asfandyar said.
He alleged that the silence over National Action Plan (NAP) proves that non-state actors are getting support of state.
Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar should take suo motto notice over the incident, he said.
During the weekly media briefing Thursday, Foreign Office spokesperson Muhammad Faisal earlier said Pakistan was in touch with the Afghan authorities to finalise arrangements for shifting the body of officer to Pakistan as early as possible.
Faisal also said Pakistan actively participated in the Russian-sponsored peace talks on Afghanistan to promote reconciliation process in that country.
He said Pakistan wanted to achieve the objective of peace and stability in the region.
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