Pakastan Embassy staffer shot at by unidentified man in Kathmandu, Nepal

Hindustan Times, April 14, 2011

An official of the Pakistan embassy in Kathmandu sustained bullet injuries when he was shot at by an unidentified gunman on Thursday. Mehboob Asif, posted in the visa section of the embassy, was riding to work on a motorcycle when the assailant fired four rounds at him. Police say the assailant esc

 

aped on Asif’s motorcycle, which was later found abandoned outside a hospital. The victim who sustained bullet injuries on his stomach and hand was rushed to the nearby Tribhuwan University Teaching Hospital. He is stated to be out of danger.

In a statement, the Pakistani embassy expressed the hope that the Nepal government would take appropriate steps “to bring the criminals to justice.”

 

Pakistan’s Ambassador to Nepal Syed Abrar Hussain told reporters after visiting Asif in hospital that he was confident that the investigating authorities would look into the matter seriously.

 

The police have arrested five persons in connection with the incident and have detained several others for questioning.

 

Thursday’s incident comes close on the wheels of Nepal’s newly appointed energy minister Gokarna Bista surviving a ‘khukri’ attack outside his Kathmandu home on Monday.

 

A day earlier, an Indian businessman, Anjani Kumar Chachan, was shot dead at his garment go-down in central Kathmandu by unidentified assailants.

 

The incidents have raised questions about security and opposition parties like Nepali Congress have sought Prime Minister Jhalanath Khanal’s resignation for failing to maintain law and order. (The Hindustan Times)