ISLAMABAD – A retired 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 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 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 Pakistani national named Javed Ansari, ARY reported.
Zahir went missing from the town of Lumbini, which is just five kilometers from the border with India. He had last contacted his wife after arrival, while his Pakistani and new Nepali mobile phone are now switched off.
The website through which he applied for the job and its Twitter account has been now deactivated. It is reported that the website and the call he received was being operated from India.
A complaint report has been filed over the missing army officer. The government of Pakistan is also in contact with Nepal over the disappearance of Zahir and is using diplomatic channels to gather more evidence.
The Pakistan’s Foreign Office Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria on Saturday confirmed the incident, saying the matter has been raised with the Nepalese government and the Pakistani embassy is in contact with the local authorities.
The FO is also in contact with Zahir’s family members who insist he has gone missing, added Zakaria.
