The daughter of Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan was briefly kidnapped and mistreated by unknown assailants, the Afghan government said on Saturday.

Silsila Alikhil's daughter was on her way home when she was seized for several hours and“severely tortured”, the foreign ministry said in a statement, without giving more details of Friday's abduction in Islamabad.

”After being released from the kidnappers' captivity, Ms Alikhil is under medical care at the hospital,” it said, calling for an investigation and protection for Afghan diplomats.

Neither Pakistan's foreign ministry nor Islamabad Police responded to requests for comment.