Islamabad: Britain on Thursday conveyed to
Pakistan its concern at the killing of senior journalist Syed
Saleem Shahzad and the assault of another reporter and called
for action to be taken against those responsible for such
incidents.
Visiting British Foreign Secretary William Hague said
he had raised his country's concerns on the issue during his
meeting with Pakistan's Minister of State for Foreign Affairs
Hina Rabbani Khar.
Referring to the killing of Shahzad and the assault on
Waqar Kiani at a news conference he addressed jointly with
Khar, Hague said: "It is vital that those responsible are
brought to justice."
Shahzad went missing while driving from his home to a
TV station in Islamabad on May 29, two days after he alleged
in an article that al Qaeda had infiltrated the Pakistan Navy.
Journalists' associations and rights groups have
blamed the Inter-Services Intelligence for Shahzad's
abduction, a charge denied by the Pakistani spy agency.
Kiani was assaulted in the federal capital by men
wearing police uniforms on June 18, just five days after he
spoke out about his abduction and torture by suspected
intelligence agents in 2008.
He has worked for Britain's Guardian newspaper.
During the talks between Khar and Hague, the two
countries agreed to prepare a comprehensive plan of action to
intensify cooperation in trade and business, defence and
security, development, education, health and culture
Khar said these areas were identified as constituents
of the enhanced strategic dialogue between the two countries
and Pakistan will share a working paper with Britain on ways
to move forward in each sector.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, June 23, 2011, 22:29