Family Blames “Enemy Spy” for Missing Pakistan Army Officer

Lt Col (Rtd) Mohammad Habib. (Photo Courtesy: Twitter/@AnasMallick)

The family of a retired Pakistan Army officer, who went missing in Nepal, has told police that he may have been kidnapped by "enemy spy agencies", an apparent reference to Indian intelligence agencies.

Lt Col (Rtd) Mohammad Habib went missing soon after he landed in the Nepalese town of Lumbini on Thursday, where he was supposed to appear for an interview.

Saad Habib, the son of the missing officer, in an FIR lodged late on Sunday with Rawat police station near Rawalpindi, said that his father was received by one Javed Ansari in Nepal, who took him to Lumbini, a town near the Indian border.

"We suspect that my father has been abducted and enemy spy agencies might be responsible for it," a police official quoted Saad as saying.

The word "enemy" is often used for India in Pakistani security circles.

Nobody has been named in the FIR as police have started initial investigation.

Habib, who retired in October 2014 and belonged to artillery wing of the army, was currently employed with a private firm in Pakistan, and had posted his CV online for employment.

A caller identified as Mark Thompson had reportedly contacted him, both via email and telephone, for a job interview in Nepal for which he was also provided an air ticket.

The initial probe by security agencies showed that the UK number was computer-generated and the emails and website domains were registered in India, creating an alarm that Indian spies might have tricked the officer.

Habib last contacted his family on Thursday afternoon, and since then, his phone numbers have not been reachable.

Foreign Office spokesman Mohammed Nafees Zakari said the ministry had asked authorities in Nepal to look into the disappearance of Habib.

The last message that Habib sent from Lumbini said he had reached his destination.