Canadian Senator Salma Attaullah Jan was robbed of cash, a black pearl necklace and her ID cards in Islamabad's F6 area on Tuesday night.

The senator was reportedly approached by two men on a motorcycle as she was getting into her car near F6 Markaz. The men grabbed her handbag and fled, prompting Jan to register a First Investigation Report (FIR).

Jan reported she was carrying $4,200, Rs62,000, a pearl necklace, a few credit cards and her Canadian Senate ID.

Appointed to the Canadian senate in 2010 during Stephen Harper's tenure, Jan, who hails from Mardan, describes herself as an "activist, artist and realtor".

She belongs to a political family.

Her father, Saranjam Khan was a central figure in PML-N's presence in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) until February 2012, when he, along with two other party members, developed differences with the PML-N party leadership and relinquished their posts and basic party memberships.

According to the Islamabad police's crime statistics, figures show incidences of 'general theft' to have decreased from 422 to 355 between 2014 and 2015. However, reports from 2016 show crime to have risen in the capital city.

Expatriates are particular targets for some criminal gangs. In 2015, the Islamabad police's investigative unit had busted a gang of robbers who were notorious for targeting foreign nationals.