Bangladesh mission staff in Pakistan who went ‘missing’ found unharmed

An official of Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad, who had gone missing, has been found unharmed.

“I was told only five minutes ago that he has safely returned,” High Commissioner to Pakistan Suhrab Hossain told bdnews24.com in the wee hours of Tuesday.

The press wing personal staff, Jahangir Hossain, went missing on Monday afternoon, hours after a Pakistan High Commission official in Dhaka had been detained for hours by the Detective Branch of police.

But High Commissioner Hossain would not go into the details when asked whether Jahangir had been detained.

“Jahangir has only returned. I can’t say anything else without speaking to him first,” Hossain said.

Police in Dhaka had detained Abrar Ahmed Khan, a press section assistant private secretary at the Pakistan High Commission, at around Monday noon.

But he was released and handed over to the high commission officials later in the evening.

Police claimed to have found Indian currency worth Rs 3,500 on Khan, but the Pakistan mission rejected it and condemned the incident.

Both incidents have taken place amid tension between the two countries over the trials of 1971 war criminals and alleged terror ties of the officials of Pakistan High Commission in Dhaka.

In a statement, the Pakistan mission said it noticed “a disturbing pattern of harassment of its officers and officials, followed by a mud-slinging campaign and media trial”.

Bangladesh Police and security agencies have been accusing mission staffers of having ties to militants.

In January last year, Mazhar Khan, a Pakistani official working in the Dhaka mission, was expelled after Bangladesh intelligence accused him of funding Islamist radicals and peddling fake currency.

Pakistan also had to recall Fareena Arshad, its Second Secretary (Political) at the high commission, in December last year after the Detective Branch claimed to have ‘found evidence of her terror links’.

Pakistan then demanded Dhaka recall a diplomat of Bangladesh High Commission in Islamabad.