BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi lawmakers on Sunday called for easing security measures imposed on the capital every time they meet, and Pakistan`s government confirmed that an embassy diplomat was kidnapped in Baghdad.
Malik Mohammed Javed, deputy of the Pakistani charge d`affaires, went missing late Saturday after he left his Baghdad home to attend prayers at a nearby mosque.
The Pakistani Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the previously unknown Omar bin Khattab group claimed responsibility for the kidnapping. It added that Javed had contacted the Pakistani Embassy in Baghdad and told officials he had not been harmed.
The kidnappers` demands weren`t immediately clear.
In July, insurgents kidnapped and beheaded two Pakistanis - Raja Azad, 49, an engineer, and Sajad Naeem, 29, a driver in Iraq. Both had been working for a Kuwaiti company here.
The kidnappers - calling themselves the Islamic Army in Iraq - demanded that Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim nation, promise not to send troops to Iraq.
Pakistan - a key ally of the United States in the war against terrorism - has refused to deploy peacekeepers to Iraq and has urged its citizens to avoid coming here.
During Sunday`s National Assembly meeting, parliament speaker Hajim al-Hassani called for relaxing security measures that have snarled traffic and closed many Baghdad streets only when lawmakers meet.
Many residents have complained about the increased security in a city already under tight control. Some lawmakers said Sunday they had been insulted and mistreated by Iraqi police at checkpoints, and one female lawmaker said her weapon had been confiscated.
"These measures are highly exaggerated and they hinder the work of the employees and the movement of the citizens," al-Hassani said. "We asked the security officials to relax these measures."
He said the assembly will officially inform the authorities of their request.
"We are keen on guaranteeing the security of the members of the National Assembly, but we are also keen on allowing people to do their jobs," he said.
Qassim Dawoud, Iraq`s minister of state for national security, said the measures were necessary as long as the assembly continued to convene at the same location. Officials have proposed moving to a new building being used by the Defense Ministry.
"Terrorism is targeting the National Assembly ... and that`s why we have to focus on security," Dawoud said.
Underscoring security concerns, a car bomb exploded Sunday near a U.S. convoy in Baghdad, injuring four civilians, Iraqi police Lt. Ali Hussein said. In Baqouba, 60 kilometers (35 miles) northeast of Baghdad, a car bomb blew up near a U.S. soldiers combat patrol, wounding an American service member, the U.S. military said. Two people were taken into custody.
Lawmaker Jalal Eddin al-Sagheer, a senior cleric and member of the Supreme Council for the Islamic Revolution in Iraq, claimed security forces had been infiltrated by members of the former regime.
"This infiltration threatens everyone," he said. He called on the assembly to ask the Interior Ministry about the issue.
Sabah Kadhim, the Interior Ministry spokesman, declined to comment on the lawmakers` allegations, saying only: "We respect the parliament, and we will coordinate with it."
"They have the right to pose questions and to question the interior minister," he said.
Sunday`s meeting was the first since Shiite Arab Ibrahim al-Jaafari was chosen as the country`s new interim prime minister Thursday. The new leader has one month to form a Cabinet that will replace the outgoing interim government.
Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari, also a lawmaker, called on negotiators to expedite the formation of the new government.
"We are under pressure," he said. "We have to write the draft constitution by August and we want to meet the deadlines. We cannot afford to waste more time."
Members of a coalition led by outgoing interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi indicated there were divisions over whether they would participate in the new government.
"We have participated in the talks with the Shiite alliance and the Kurds and have agreed on a general framework," lawmaker Hussein al-Shaalan said. "Now, we`re waiting to hear more from them. We will have a strong participation."
The lawmakers adjourned and agreed to meet on Monday.
Also Sunday, more than 1,000 teachers protested in Sulaimaniyah, 260 kilometers (160 miles) northeast of Baghdad, demanding that officials update curriculums and increase teacher salaries.
"These curriculums are based on political ideas rather than educational ones, so they must be changed," said Serdar Mohamed, a 39-year-old history teacher.

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By MARIAM FAM
Associated Press Writer
Associated Press writers Sadaqat Jan from Islamabad, Pakistan, and Sameer Yacoub from Baghdad contributed to this report.