Perturbed over increasing incidents of abduction of foreigners and subsequent problems in maintaining good relations with other countries, the Foreign Office on Sunday asked the Ministry of Interior to chalk out a strategy to ensure safety of foreigners residing in Pakistan. According to sources, the ministry summoned a meeting on 27th in which top security and intelligence officials would participate. Kidnapping for ransom had turned out to be a profitable business in which criminals kidnap foreigners and local people for ransom, sometimes selling their hostages to Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked groups. Two Western aid workers, including an Italian and German, were kidnapped by unidentified gunmen from Multan in January and reportedly being held by the TTP. On January 22, a Kenyan aid worker and his Pakistani driver disappeared from Naushero Feroze, Sindh and according to police, they might have been abducted for ransom.
