ISLAMABAD, Oct 3: Foreign Minister, Inamul Haq, met Italy’s deputy Foreign Minister, Margherita Boniver, on Thursday and asked her to intervene in the case of 15 Pakistanis held in Italy on suspicion of belonging to Al Qaeda.

Haq “conveyed Pakistan’s concern at the unsubstantiated charges of terrorism” against the 15 suspects, arrested in August from a ship off the Italian coast and charged with conspiracy to carry out terrorist acts, a foreign ministry statement said.

The minister called on Boniver to “personally intercede for the early and just resolution of the issue,” the statement added.

Pakistan in mid-September said it regretted the labelling of the 15 detainees as Al Qaeda suspects, the network held responsible for carrying out the Sept 11 attacks on New York and Washington, without verifying their identification papers or “properly investigating the matter.”

Italian officials arrested the suspects after the coastguard intercepted their vessel, the Sara, off the coast of Sicily, following a tip- off from Italian intelligence services.

Officials who searched the merchant ship claimed the men were Pakistanis who were travelling on false passports.

The vessel, with a cargo of lead, was bound for Libya from the Moroccan port of Casablanca when it strayed into Italian waters.

Authorities have also charged the suspects with conspiracy to carry out subversive acts, after an investigation by Italy’s anti-terrorist police, aided by the United States Naval Criminal Investigative Service (USNCIS) which is based in Sicily.

Qudssia Akhlaque adds: Italy’s Deputy Foreign Minister, Margherita Boniver, called on the Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Inamul Haq and Foreign Secretary Riaz Khokhar here on Thursday.

The Italian deputy minister arrived here on a goodwill visit late Wednesday from Afghanistan. On Thursday, she held wide- ranging talks with the two foreign office officials.

Officials said bilateral and regional issues including Afghanistan, Iraq and the international campaign against terrorism figured during discussions.

The foreign office sources told Dawn that the issue of the detained Pakistani nationals in Italy was raised with the visiting dignitary.

Madame Boniver left Islamabad on Thursday evening.