Kathmandu, December 19:

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs today expressed profound dissatisfaction over a news item published in Pakistan’s daily newspaper The News on December 15 with the headline ‘Ajmal Kasab kidnapped from Nepal before 2006’.

Issuing a press statement here today, the Ministry said the news was baseless and was published only to negatively portray the image of the country.

"The Ministry hereby refutes the news report in the strongest terms and states Ajmal Kasab was neither arrested in Nepal nor was he handed over to any other country," the Ministry stated. The Ministry also urged all concerned to act responsibly and to publish only genuine and factual information after the verification of the facts.