Islamabad, April 10 (IANS): Pakistan on Friday summoned a senior Afghan diplomat over the killing of five Pakistani traders in Afghanistan's eastern Nangarhar province, officials said.

Unidentified gunmen kidnapped a group of Pakistani traders two months ago and killed five of them this week. One aged trader was released and two are still missing.

On Wednesday, Afghan authorities handed over the bodies of the five traders to Pakistan. They were laid to rest in Charsadda district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Thursday.

"The Afghan deputy head of mission was called to foreign office today, and handed over a demarche conveying Pakistan's serious concern over the brutal killing of five Pakistani nationals in Afghanistan," Xinhua news agency quoted the foreign ministry as saying in a statement.

"The government of Afghanistan has been requested to hold an investigation and bring the perpetrators to justice," it said.

No group has claimed responsibility.

Thousands of Pakistanis, mostly labourers, are working in Afghanistan.

The Afghan Deputy Head of the Mission, Barakatullah Rahmati, expressed condolences over the killing of Pakistani nationals and assured he would convey the concerns of Pakistan to higher authorities.