Pakistan's consulate in Jalalabad resumes visa operations today

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Consulate General in Jalalabad, which remained closed for over one month, is set to resume its visa operations from today, according to the Foreign Office.

In August, Pakistan shut down its consulate in Jalalabad citing security concerns and ‘undue interference’ by the governor of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province in its working.

Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal in a statement said: “Pakistan’s Consulate General in Jalalabad which was closed on 30th August 2018 will resume its visa operations, after assurances by the Afghan government that all necessary and required security will be provided to the Consulate Generalz.”

“All visa applicants in Jalalabad and surrounding areas within the jurisdiction of the Consulate General could now apply for visa with the Consulate General with effect from Monday 8th October 2018.”

On August 30, the Pakistani embassy in Kabul said in a press release that the consulate in Jalalabad will remain closed until adequate security arrangements are made to its satisfaction.

It said this decision has also been made against the backdrop of unnecessary intervention by Nangarhar’s governor Hayatullah Hayat’s in the working of the consulate.

“The Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul deeply regrets undue intervention of Governor Hayatullah Hayat in the functioning of the Consulate General of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Jalalabad, which is complete violation of the Vienna Convention of the Consular Relations 1963.”

The embassy also said it has requested the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs to “kindly refrain the governor from interfering in the functioning of the Consulate General and to ensure restoration of security of the consulate office as it existed on August 28, 2018.”