Sunday, April 10 2005 19:02 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: A Pakistani diplomat has been kidnapped in Iraq apparently by members of Omar bin Khattab group, the Foreign Ministry said in Islamabad today (Apr 10, 2005).

"Persons claiming to be members of Omar bin Khattab group have apparently kidnapped the official," it said in a statement.

However, no details about the group were available.

Malik Muhammed Javed, a deputy counsellor at the Pakistan embassy in Baghdad, went missing yesterday (Apr 9, 2005) after leaving home to offer prayers at a mosque, Foreign Office spokesman Jalil Abbas Jilani said.

Javed had since then been in contact with the charge d'affaires Mohamed Iftikhar Anjum and said that he is safe, the spokesman said.

Jilani said that Pakistan has approached the Iraqi Government as well as the Iraqi embassy in Islamabad to help secure the release of Javed.

He said that Javed's family informed the charge d'affaires that he did not return from the mosque. "Our charge d'affaires has contacted the Iraqi authorities about the incident."

"We are trying to get information about his whereabouts," the spokesman said.

"Iraqi Ambassador in Islamabad has also been contacted and has been told to convey our concern to the Iraqi authorities and get information about his whereabouts as early as possible," he said.