ISLAMABAD: A director of the Capital Development Authority (CDA) went missing on Thursday, and later surfaced at D.I. Khan.

Mohammad Ayaz Mehsud is a director at Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad, police said.

Mr Mehsud’s brother-in-law lodged a complaint with the police after the CDA official went missing. A case was registered on the complaint following which a search was launched to trace him.

However, after a few hours a video message surfaced on social media in which the director said he was safe.

Mr Mehsud’s family is busy in the preparation of his daughter’s marriage these days, the police said.

Mohammad Ayaz Mehsud had left for his office from his residence in G-13 on Thursday morning, and had remained in contact with his family till 8pm. But when his wife called him later, both of his mobile phones were switched off.

“In his last call to his wife, Mr Mehsud told her that he was in Korang Town and will return soon, but never did,” the police said, adding that later his brother-in-law, who had come to Islamabad from Peshawar to attend his niece’s marriage, lodged the complaint.

After registration of the case, the police started investigation and obtained the director’s mobile phone record. With the help of Mr Mehsud’s friend, he traced him in D.I. Khan, the police claimed.

Superintendent of Police (SP) Aamir Khan Niazi told Dawn that the police registered the case without any delay and immediately started efforts to trace him. The investigators found him in D.I. Khan where he was approached.

Shortly afterwards, he issued a video message in which he stated that he was safe and sound, the SP said, adding that a police team was sent to D.I. Khan to bring him back to Islamabad and find out the reason how he reached there. His statement will also be recorded, he added.

In the video message the director says that he had come to D.I. Khan to visit a relative.

He further said that he had lost his mobile phones and requested not to make an issue out of it and not to malign the government and institutions.

Published in Dawn, November 17th, 2018