Pakistan offers ‘unconditional’ support to recover US hostage

WASHINGTON: Pakistan will help in the ongoing efforts to recover an American hostage, Mark Frerichs, from Taliban’s custody to fulfill its ‘moral and humanitarian responsibility’, a Pakistani embassy spokesperson said.

While responding to ABC News on a media report that expressed fears that the United States’ hasty withdrawal from Afghanistan might dim the hope for the release of a 58-year-old American national civil engineer, Mark Frerichs, who was kidnapped in January 2020 from Kabul, Pakistani envoy Maliha Shahid said, “Pakistan has always regarded any assistance it can provide in helping the United States and other foreign countries to recover their hostages from Afghanistan and always treated the issue as a moral and humanitarian responsibility”.

Citing experts, ABC News said the US would lose most of whatever leverage it might have to free the hostage through one of the limited number of tracks the government has already contemplated or acted upon during 17 months of Frerichs’ captivity after American military and special operations personnel leave Afghanistan expected by July Fourth.

The report said the options that have been considered for getting Frerichs released, include trying to arrange a controversial prisoner exchange, involving an Afghan drug-lord, asking Pakistan to influence the Haqqani network, or staging a high-risk rescue operation if the hostage could anytime be located. But ABC News said the hostage-rescue option was seen as even less likely than the prisoner exchange. In her response to ABC News report, the spokesperson said Pakistan has always extended its unconditional and full assistance.