Islamabad, Feb 14 (IANS) Pakistani has started a massive operation to trace its missing ambassador to Afghanistan Tariq Azizuddin who is believed to hav been abducted by militants on his way to Kabul Monday, an official said Thursday.
“The Political Administration of Khyber Agency started a massive crackdown for the recovery of ambassador Tariq Azizuddin and arrested six members of the Junda Khel tribe,” the interior ministry official told IANS Thursday.
He said six people were arrested under the Collective Responsibility Act by authorities that believe the tribe knows the envoy’s whereabouts.
The ambassador was going to Kabul when he disappeared in the tribal area of Khyber Agency along with his driver and gunman. He has relatives and close friends living in the tribal area and used to travel between Kabul and Islamabad by road.
Authorities believe that the Junda Khel tribe kidnapped him in Jamrud subdivision of Khyber Agency.
According to Assistant Political Agent Jamrud, there is no jirga in session yet, but political authorities were in contact with tribal leaders and were pressurizing them to negotiate.
There were reports that Azizuddin had been shifted from Khyber Agency, but this was yet to be confirmed.