There is strong evidence pointing towards the involvement of Indian hostile agencies in the abduction of Habib Zahir, a retired officer of the Pakistan army, revealed a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
“Indian media reports and tweets from Indian personnel corroborate the evidence that he was in their custody,” said the spokesperson, adding that Pakistan had called on the Indian government for assistance.
“Unfortunately we have not received any positive response as yet,” he stated.
The Foreign Ministry termed the abduction of Habib Zahir as a “serious transnational crime” and a “sharp contravention to the international law”. It was also considered to be in direct violation of the Vienna Convention on Consular Access along with its 2008 bilateral agreement on consular access between Pakistan and India.
“The international community, especially the human rights organizations must take serious notice of the matter and raise their voice for the release of an innocent individual,” said the spokesperson.
“The UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances has registered the case of Mr. Habib Zahir, on the request of his family. The relevant must respect the UN and constructively engage with the UN Working Group and take necessary steps to enable Mr. Habib Zahir’s immediate release,” he added.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs assured Pakistan that it would continue to make efforts to locate and bring back Mr. Habib Zahir.
Muhammad Habib Zahir is a retired officer of the Pakistan army who was abducted in 2017 from Lumbini, Nepal which is 5 kilometers from the Indian border.
At the Pakistan Government’s request, the Government of Nepal constituted a special team to look into the incident but there has been no progress in the matter so far.
