The Hindu : National : Pakistani abduction story fabricated, says Delhi

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Thursday, Nov 10, 2005

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National

Pakistani abduction story fabricated, says Delhi

Amit Baruah

"Unfortunate attempt to sensationalise without proper investigation"

NEW DELHI: The External Affairs Ministry said on Wednesday night that the "abduction" of a son of a Pakistani High Commission staffer in the capital on Tuesday was fabricated after the issue was raised both in New Delhi and Islamabad by Pakistani authorities.

A Pakistan High Commission official told this correspondent that Deputy High Commissioner Munawar Saeed Bhatty met Joint Secretary (Pakistan) Dilip Sinha on Wednesday at South Block and urged an inquiry into the matter.

The official said that Roshan Ali, teenaged son of Asghar Ali, a clerk, was abducted close to the National Institute of Information Technology (NIIT) in South Extension. Roshan, an NIIT student, was apparently dumped near the India Gate around 2 a.m. on Wednesday.

"Photographed"

Roshan was picked up by some unidentified people riding a jeep and given chloroform, the official stated, adding that he was also blindfolded. According to the official, Roshan was also "photographed" with some dead bodies before being dumped near the India Gate.

Letter found

A letter was also found on his person, which threatened Roshan with dire consequences. Asked whether he had been beaten up, the High Commission official replied in the negative. The identity of the persons who abducted him was also not known.

The Ministry said that police investigation revealed that the note in Hindi, said to have been stuffed in Roshan Ali's pocket, was actually written the same day at NIIT by his colleague, an Indian student, Rahul Sharma.

"Rahul Sharma has acknowledged that he wrote the note at Roshan Ali's request and as dictated by him. According to Rahul Sharma, Roshan Ali said that he would use the note to scare some of his Pakistani friends. Rahul Sharma also stated that he accompanied Roshan Ali from NIIT to the South Extension Part I subway where they parted ways," the Ministry said.

"Police investigation also reveals that there was no report of any incident of the kind alleged by Roshan Ali outside NIIT around 1715 hours on November 8. This is a crowded area where an incident of this kind is unlikely to go unnoticed."

According to the statement, Pakistan Television carried a report on the alleged abduction early on Wednesday morning stating that Pakistan had lodged a protest with India. The protest was actually lodged some hours later.

"Rahul Sharma's statement and the absence of any corroborative report on the alleged abduction clearly establishes that Roshan Ali's story is fabricated. The rush to publicise the allegation in the media in Pakistan is an unfortunate attempt to sensationalise it without proper investigation. The matter is being further investigated by the police which has requested Pakistan High Commission for interrogating Mr. Roshan Ali," the statement added.

After India-Pakistan relations began improving in November 2003, this is one of the first instances of its kind, where a complaint of abduction and harassment has been made.

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