Former Pakistani diplomat found slain

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, Aug. 8 (UPI) -- A former Pakistani diplomat has been found tortured and slain in Islamabad, police said Saturday.

Niaz Naik played an important role in delivering back-channel communications between Pakistan and India during the three-month war between the countries in Kashmir known as the Kargil conflict, The Press Trust of India reported.

Police said Naik's body, discovered in his home in the Pakistani capital, showed signs of torture, marking a departure from earlier statements that there were no apparent injuries to be found, PTI said.

Authorities said Naik, 82, was unmarried and had lived alone the house for many years. He had been dead for several days and was found reportedly after neighbors complained of a foul smell from the house.

In addition to serving as former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's emissary to India during the Kargil crisis in his retirement years, he also represented Pakistan in Paris, Moscow, New Delhi and the United Nations, The Hindu reported.