India yet to respond on issue of missing ex-army officer: FO

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office (FO) stated on Thursday that there has been no response from the Indian government on the issue of Lt Colonel (retd) Habib Zahir, who went missing in Nepal earlier this year. 

During his weekly press briefing, FO Spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said the website which offered Habib the job in Nepal was operated from India.

Habib went missing from Lumbini, a Nepalese town near the Indian border, on April 6 soon after arriving in Nepal. 

The retired officer went to Nepal in pursuit of employment, according to his family. 

More Indian links surface in relation to missing ex-army officer

Credible sources informed that three Indian nationals were involved in the booking of air ticket, hotel accommodation and receiving the ex-army man from the Lumbini airport

Saad Habib, son of the missing retired officer, suspects involvement of anti-state elements in the kidnapping of his father and lodged an FIR with the Rawat police on April 8.

Ceasefire violations, Balochistan 

During his briefing, Dr Faisal condemned India's repeated violation of the 2003 ceasefire agreement of the Line of Control. He said India has violated the agreement 1,300 times this year, killing 50 and injuring 165 civilians. 

Talking about the Kashmir dispute, he said there are three stakeholders in Kashmir: India, Pakistan and Kashmir, adding that without talking to all three the problem cannot be resolved. 

The spokesperson said further that various statements by the Indian government give credence to India’s opposition to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. 

He clarified that the country gave permission on humanitarian grounds to Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav’s wife to meet him. Jadhav is presently awaiting execution after being given a death sentence by a military court for espionage. 

The spokesperson also welcomed the immediate action by the British government to take down anti-Balochistan ads on London’s buses.