Amid face-off with India over Kulbhushan Jadhav, Pakistan now seeks info on missing ex-army officer

New Delhi: Amid a legal battle over alleged Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav at the ICJ, Pakistan has now sought information about its missing former army officer, Lt Col Mohammed Habib Zahir from India.

According to the ToI, Pakistan has written a letter to the Indian Mission seeking information about Zahir, who went missing from Nepal on April 6.

Reports in the Pakistani media had earlier alleged that India had abducted Habib in order to secure Jadhav's release, however, this is for the first time that Islamabad has officially raised the issue with the Indian Mission.

While Indian officials claim that they have no clue about Habib, the Pakistan government sources believe that he is in the custody of Indian intelligence agency RAW.

Meanwhile, an investigation into Habib's disappearance is still on in Nepal.

The Pakistani authorities have earlier contacted Nepal's Foreign Ministry seeking its help in locating Habib.

Habib, who had in past worked with ISI, went missing shortly after he arrived at Lumbini from Kathmandu. 

Habib's family claims that he had been offered a job with a UN agency in Nepal and was promised a salary of $ 8,500 per month. 

However, unverified media reports claimed that he was on a "secret" ISI mission to Nepal.

Pakistan's decision to raise Habib's disappearance officially with India comes at a time the two countries are locked in a legal battle at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the death sentence awarded to Jadhav by a Pakistan military court.