Missing abroad: Family of Pakistani man seeks early recovery

FO spokesperson says information provided by family about his residence in Oman was wrong.

ISLAMABAD:

The family of a young Pakistani engineer who has gone missing in Oman has urged the Foreign Office to expedite efforts for his early recovery.

According to the family, Asim Mukhtar, 25, who hailed from Abbotabad, went missing in Oman on February 22. “Since then, I have had no contact with my son. I am clueless to know his whereabouts,” Asmat Mukhtar, the mother of the missing person, told The Express Tribune.

She said that her son went to Oman on April 25, 2013 on a visit visa and was working in a privet transport company in Muscat. “Asim left his house for the office on February 22, but never came home,” she said.

Mukhtar said that she last spoke with her son on February 14. She said that during the conversation, her son insisted they video chat, however, she could not due to poor internet signals.

Mukhtar, a mother of four, said Asim was her eldest son and the entire family was in distress.

She said that Asim had a diploma in civil engineering from the University of Lahore and then left for Oman with the help of a private agent in Lahore.

Asim’s father, who is also a civil engineer, is working in Abbotabad. She claimed Asim’s never involved in any illegal activities.

“My son had a visa valid till March 2015 and if there was any problem with it, Omani authorities should at least tell us about his whereabouts,” she said.

“Foreign ministry officials have been cooperative and assured us they would help recover him as soon as possible, but we want to expedite the process because the Oman’s government is not forthcoming,” she said. She requested the prime minister to personally intervene and look into the matter.

Foreign Ministry Spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam, when contacted, said that the ministry has been able to trace Asim’s listed address in Oman, but he was not living there.

She said that his family had provided incorrect information to the Pakistani embassy in Oman about his address, which is why officials there were facing problems locating him.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 8^th, 2014.