ISLAMABAD: An army official appointed as a clerk at the Pakistani embassy in Austria some five months ago disappeared along with some sensitive documents, Dawn learnt from officials on Tuesday.

A case of his disappearance and missing documents was registered at the Tarnol police station on a complaint of a defence ministry’s official under Sections 109 (abetment) and 409 (criminal breach of trust by public servant, or by banker, merchant or agent) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

According to the FIR, the resident of Sara-i-Kharboza was enrolled in the Pakistan Army as sepoy and appointed as a clerk at the Pakistani embassy in Vienna, Austria, in August last year. He was given a sensitive assignment by the defence ministry, it added.

He was made an official in charge of some important and sensitive national affairs there, it stated, adding that “it was very important duty, besides sensitive for country’s sovereignty”.

The official had been found absent from his duty since Jan 2 this year, the FIR stated, adding that on checking of embassy’s record the documents carrying sensitive information were also found missing.

After his disappearance, the man contacted his family and asked his wife to shift to her parents’ house at Tarnol in Islamabad, the FIR stated.

According to his wife, her husband left the embassy of his free will and will “return after five years”.

So far the man had not contacted his department or the Pakistani embassy in Vienna to inform them about his whereabouts, the FIR stated, adding that the wife, parents and brother of the man were in contact with him, but avoiding sharing information about him with the police.

“It is suspected that he might have become a tool in the hands of enemy of the country,” it stated.

In reply to a question, a police official on condition of anonymity said that the defence ministry had asked the law enforcement agency to investigate and interrogate his family to trace his whereabouts and arrest him.

Published in Dawn, January 24th, 2018