Pakistani consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif resumes visa operations

KABUL: The Pakistan Consulate General in Mazar-e-Sharif in Afghanistan’s Balkh province resumed visa operations on Tuesday after a two-day closure, ARY News reported.

The consulate was closed after an Afghan woman was caught trying to enter into it with a hand grenade in her bag.

Diplomatic sources said the consulate’s visa section began its operations today following an assurance by Afghan authorities to provide adequate security to the consulate.

Earlier, on Jan 27, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Muhammad Faisal had said Pakistan closed its consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif after a woman was caught trying to sneak a hand grenade into the consulate

”The woman was arrested by the police and is under investigation to find perpetrators of the failed attack.”

The spokesperson said that the Pakistan’s embassy in Kabul demanded the Afghan officials to provide foolproof security to its consulate General in Mazar-e-Sharif and to share the findings of its investigation at the earliest.

He said that Pakistani consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif would remain closed till the provision of fool-proof security by the Afghan authorities.

Earlier, Pakistan had closed its Consulate General in Jalalabad city in Nangarhar province of Afghanistan over meddling in the diplomatic office’s internal affairs by local officials on August 31.