| GEO Pakistan | | Video of abducted Afghan envoy released | Updated at: 2114 PST, Sunday, May 02, 2010
ISLAMABAD: The abductors of Afghanistan’s ambassador-designate to Pakistan Abdul Khaliq Farahi, who was kidnapped by armed gunmen from Peshawar in Sept 2008, Sunday released a video in which he was shown pleading to authorities to accept the demands of his captors.
Farahi, 53, was abducted by armed men from the Hayatabad area of Peshawar. His driver was shot dead by the kidnappers.
The diplomat, who hails from Afghanistan's western Farah province, served as the Consul General in Quetta after the fall of the Taliban regime in Kabul.
In April 2002, he was appointed as Consul General in Peshawar and served in the position for six years. In August 2008, he was named as Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan.
He was kidnapped before he could present his credentials.
"I am Abdul Khaliq Farahi. Dear listeners, as you know, a year and six months ago mujahideen arrested me from Peshawar. For the past one year and six months, I have been spending my days and nights in very critical conditions," said Farahi, who has shown in the video wearing pants and a half-sleeve shirt.
"I appeal to my government and Afghan nation as well as the international community to make their last attempt and save my life. These people have accused me of working with misled and US representative government of Afghanistan and the punishment of this crime is death sentence," he said.
After Farahi recorded his statement, an armed militant standing behind him began recording his own statement in aggressive tone.
Besides highlighting the successes and achievements of mujahideen, the militant said it was blessing of Allah that they captured Farahi.
"This man Abdul Khaliq Farahi is an Afghan national. He is in our jail now. He was Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan when he was captured by mujahideen. Pakistan too is a renegade country and is helping the US as a frontline state," the militant said.
He said Farahi was in their custody for the 18 months but they did not make this public as they were holding secret talks with the Afghan government." We were holding negotiations with the Karzai government and forwarded him our demands for the release of the ambassador. Our demands were legitimate and in the interest of Islam, mujahideen and the Afghan people.
"A week before this issuing this video, the mujahideen suspended their talks as Karzai and his government did not show any seriousness in the negotiations and refused to answer our questions," he said. |  |
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