Pakistan searches for Ambassador to Afghanistan, feared abducted

PAKISTAN: Security forces were searching for Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan on Tuesday after he disappeared with his driver and guard while traveling by road through a volatile tribal region, officials said.

Ambassador Tariq Azizuddin, feared kidnapped by criminals or Islamic militants operating along the border with Afghanistan, lost contact with authorities Monday morning, raising fresh concerns about security ahead of next week's parliamentary elections.

He was heading to the Afghan capital, Kabul, from the northwestern Pakistani town of Peshawar when he went missing, said Mohammad Naeem Khan, the spokesman for the Pakistan's Embassy in Kabul.

"We tried to contact him and his phones were not responding. We do not know what happened and where it happened. We do not have any information yet," Khan said. Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammed Sadiq said authorities had launched a search for Azizuddin in North West Frontier Province, but provided no details.

The Feb. 18 elections are seen as key to Pakistan's transition to democracy after eight years of military rule under President Pervez Musharraf. Islamabad, Tuesday, AP