ISLAMABAD: A Spanish diplomat stationed in Pakistan for over three decades was found dead at his residence in the F-7/2 sector of the capital on Thursday.

Police said Juan Jose Giner Pellicer, the Spanish chancellor/attaché, had committed suicide by shooting himself with a locally-made revolver.

When contacted, Iftikhar Chatha, the station house officer (SHO) of Kohsar police station, confirmed to Dawn that an autopsy conducted on the body showed that the diplomat had committed suicide by shooting himself. He said the body was handed over to officials from the Spanish embassy who kept it in the mortuary of Polyclinic before sending it to Spain.

The diplomat was found dead by his servant, Abdul Majeed, who worked with him for 34 years. Mr Majeed told the police that he left the house of the diplomat on Wednesday evening for his home and came back early on Thursday and found his employer dead.

He said Mr Pellicer had been in distress for over 10 days. About five days ago, he also stopped reading newspapers, he told the police.

The police said the Spanish attaché lived in different sectors of Islamabad, including F-8/3, F-7/3, F-8/4 and F-7/1 between 1982 and 2008. Later, he moved to the first floor of the house at Sector F-7/2.

In 1987, he divorced his Spanish wife after which the woman returned to her native country along with a son.

Later, the diplomat married an Italian woman working in an embassy, who left him and returned to her native country.

“For the last 14 to 15 years, the diplomat had been suffering from asthma. Eight years ago, he was admitted to a hospital in Sector F-8 and operated upon,” the police added.

Published in Dawn, October 14th, 2016