Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul said that it was indefinitely closing its consular section from Monday as Islamabad claimed that its diplomats had been harassed.
“Due to security reasons, Consular Section of the Embassy of Pakistan, Kabul will be closed from tomorrow Monday, 4th November, 2019 until further intimation,” the embassy said in a statement on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said that it had summoned Afghan charge d’ affairs on Sunday to convey “serious concerns” over the safety and security of the diplomatic personnel of its embassy in Kabul and its sub-missions.
The statement said that the staff of the embassy were being harassed over the past two days. They were obstructed on the road and the Embassy vehicles were also hit by motorcycles while going towards the embassy, it said.
The Afghan diplomat was asked to convey to the Afghan authorities to immediately investigate these security violations and harassment incidents, shared report with the Government of Pakistan in this regard, and ensure against recurrence of such incidents in future, the statement said.
Pakistan embassy and its four consulates in Afghanistan have issued 53,000 visas per month this year, according to the embassy.
Earlier, the embassy urged Afghans to apply for visa only if it is very important for them to travel to the neighboring country.
