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I’m being held by Taliban, says Pakistani envoy

Islamabad: Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Tariq Azizuddin, who went missing in February, on Saturday appeared in a video beamed by an Arabic TV channel and said he was being held by the Taliban.

The footage aired by Dubai-based Al Arabiya channel showed Mr. Azizuddin, his driver Gul Nawaz, and guard Amir Sultan surrounded by armed militants. The envoy urged the Pakistan government to take steps for their release, including accepting the Taliban’s demands and freeing all Taliban cadres currently in custody.

The channel said the video was recorded on March 8, almost a month after Mr. Azizuddin went missing in Pakistan’s restive Khyber Agency while driving to Kabul.

The envoy, who had grown a beard since his capture, said he was suffering from health problems like “high blood pressure and heart pains.” He said he was kidnapped by the Taliban in Khyber Agency while he was on his way to Afghanistan on February 11.

A Pakistan Foreign Office spokesman said the government was “working closely with mediators” for Mr. Azizuddin’s release. He refused to disclose the demands made by the ambassador’s kidnappers but said the government would ensure his release.

Mr. Azizuddin’s wife also said she hoped for his quick release and was satisfied with the Pakistani government’s efforts to free him. “We are praying for his return,” she said over the telephone from her home in Rawalpindi. She refused to give her name, wishing only to be identified as Mrs. Tariq Azizuddin.

“I am satisfied with the efforts made by the government of Pakistan for the release of my husband,” she said. — PTI

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