A former Pakistani chief diplomat was found dead in his Islamabad residence on Saturday, police said."Dead, y'say? That's too bad..."
'We found Niaz A. Naik's decomposed body in his house, which was locked from inside,' local police official Baddar Munir told AFP.
"What? What? Dead? And the room locked from the inside?"
Naik, 70, who retired as foreign secretary, the top bureaucratic post in the foreign ministry, more than a decade ago, was known for his back channel diplomacy aimed at improving Pakistan's ties with India.
"So there was a motive, too...?"
'We have sent the body for autopsy to ascertain the cause of death,' Munir said, adding that Naik was living alone in the house.
"Tell Doctor Quincy, M.E., to call me as soon as he's found something!"
Naik's friends had earlier informed police that the former diplomat was missing for the last five days.
"Hah! Missing, was he? Dead, more like it! Legume! My saxophone! And my stash!"
'Niaz A. Naik was a distinguished diplomat who served Pakistan with great commitment and professionalism,' an official statement quoted foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi as saying. 'The foreign ministry and the nation will always remember his services,' Qureshi added.
"Yeah, yeah. Whatever. Legume! My cape! The game's afoot!"