Former Pakistani Army officer goes missing in Nepal

A retired Pakistan military officer, who had gone to seek employment in Nepal, has reportedly gone missing, sources said on Saturday.

Muhammad Habib Zahir, a resident of Faisalabad, had retired as Lieutenant Colonel from the Pakistan Army. Afterwards, he had sent his resume and applied online for a position at a United Nations office in Nepal.

Zahir reportedly received a call from a man named Mark Thompson from Britain, who offered him a senior position with a salary of three thousand pounds and other fringe benefits.

He readily accepted and arrived in Nepal on April 6 for an interview where he was received by a Pakistani national named Javed Ansari, the ARY reported.

Zahir went missing from the town of Lumbini, which is just five km from the border with India. He had last contacted his wife after arrival.

The website through which he applied for the job and its Twitter account has now been deactivated. It is reported that the website and the call he received was being operated from India.

A complaint has been filed over the missing army officer. The authorities were in contact with Nepal over the disappearance of Zahir.

Pakistan's Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria also confirmed the incident, saying the matter has been raised with the Nepalese government and the Pakistani embassy was in contact with the local authorities.

--IANS

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