ISLAMABAD - A Pakistani embassy official who was kidnapped in Iraq at the weekend appears to have been abducted for ransom but remains safe and well, the foreign office said Monday.
Islamabad was dispatching a special envoy and its ambassador designate to Baghdad to negotiate the release of Malik Muhammad Javed, an assistant at the embassy who does not have diplomatic status, the ministry added.
"It appears to be a case of ransom, abduction for ransom, but we are not really aware of any further details, as of now," foreign office spokesman Jalil Abbas Jilani told a regular press briefing in Islamabad.
An an unnamed official involved in efforts to secure Javed's release told AFP earlier Monday the kidnappers had demanded an unspecified amount of money.
Around 200 foreigners have been taken hostage in Iraq since last April. Many kidnappings are motivated by cash with abductors often selling captives with political value to militant groups.
"I can tell you that the group which claimed to have abducted our staffer, it is an unknown group. Nobody was aware of its existence. We have never heard of the name of this group," he added.
"My understanding is that even the Iraqi authorities had also never heard of this group before.
"So our best judgment is that it is most probably a case of abduction for ransom and I can't really go into any other specifics at this stage."
Javed, who went missing on Saturday night after going to a mosque for evening prayers, was "absolutely safe," Jilani added.
"He is regularly in contact with our charge d'affaires. His last conversation with our charge d'affaires took place last night."
Pakistani Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz and other senior officials decided at a meeting Monday to "dispatch a special envoy" to Iraq, namely Islamabad's so-called roving ambassador, Ehsanullah Khan, the spokesman said.
"He will be leaving shortly for Iraq to discuss this issue with the Iraqi government," he told the briefing.
The ambassador designate, Mohammad Yunus Khan, was also due to travel to Baghdad shortly, he added. The embassy is currently being run by charge d'affaires Mohamed Iftikhar Anjum.
04/11/2005 11:02 GMT