No clue found about whereabuot of Iranian diplomat

After the hectic efforts and investigations government is clueless about the Iranian diplomat kidnapped from Hayatabad Township here nine days ago.

The family members of Heshmatollah Attarzadeh, third secretary and commercial attachÈ at the Iranian consulate in Peshawar, is in regular contact with the officials of the diplomatic mission to get update. The family that had recently returned to Iran, according to sources, is worried about the health and safety of the missing consular.

Senior Iranian officials have been frequently meeting the top government functionaries to ensure an early and safe recovery of the elderly diplomat. “The Iranian government is in contact with the Pakistani authorities, demanding safe recovery of Attarzadeh forthwith. The consulate officials have also approached the NWFP governor, chief minister, home secretary and other senior officials in this regard,” an official of the diplomatic mission told ‘reporters.’

The Iranian diplomats, however, are not satisfied with the progress in the case. They feared the case is likely to be put in cold storage, like that of Abdul Khaliq Farahi, the Afghan ambassador-designate to Pakistan. Farahi was kidnapped on September 22 and ever since nobody knows anything about him.

In both the high-profile kidnappings, their companions were gunned down. Farahi was travelling with his driver, Khalid, while Attarzadeh was travelling with his gunman, Sajjad Hussain. The kidnappers shot Khalid and Sajjad dead after they offered resistance.

Kidnapping of diplomats, suspected to be a planned conspiracy to tarnish the image of the city, has forced the police authorities to think over establishing a separate ‘diplomatic zone’. “We have improved security in specific areas where foreigners are living and having offices. The movement of these foreigners is also being monitored and they are being given proper security to avoid any untoward incident in the future,” Senior Superintendent of Police Operations Kashif Alam told reporters.

Reports say the police have proposed setting up of a diplomatic enclave in the city, like that of Islamabad, where offices and residences of the foreigners would be provided maximum security.