Missing from Balochistan: Senate body inquires about abducted Czech

The women entered from Iran and were abducted from Chaghi district.

ISLAMABAD:

Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs has sent notices to the interior ministry and other concerned authorities over their failure to recover two female Czech tourists who had gone missing from Balochistan since March 13.

Hana Humpa­lova and Antonie Chrastecka had entered the province from Iran and were abducted from the Nok Kundi area of Chaghi district along with a policeman, who was escorting them and was later released.

The senate committee will seek updates from the concerned authorities including interior ministry and Balochistan home department on November 18 during its special meeting on the issue.

Chairman Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Haji Muhammad Adeel said that he had met the families of the abducted women in Prague, Czech Republic last week when they came to Pakistan embassy to request for a safe and early recovery of the abducted women.

“I assured the families that the abducted women would not be harmed as it was not a Pashtun and Baloch tradition to harm women” he maintained.

The families of the missing women are too poor to afford any ransom, he added.

“This is a serious diplomatic and humanitarian issue and needs to be addressed urgently,” said Senator Adeel.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2013.