ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Sunday announced to reopen the Jalalabad Consulate General as Afghanistan assured security.
On August 30, Pakistan had shut down its Consulate General in Jalalabad City in Nangarhar province for an ‘indefinite period’ to protest against Afghan officials’ intervention in activities of the diplomatic office.
Pakistani embassy in Kabul had said the decision was taken in reaction to provincial governor Hayatullah Hayat’s interference. “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 in complete violation of the Vienna Convention of the Consular Relations 1963,” the embassy had said in a statement.
It announced the Consulate General will remain closed until the security arrangements were completed to the satisfaction of the embassy.
Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs was requested 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.” As Kabul failed to give assurance of security, the consulate was closed for an indefinite period.
Later, the Afghan authorities met Pakistani officials and claimed the issue was ‘a simple misunderstanding’ and should be resolved through talks.
Yesterday, Foreign Office Spokesperson Dr Mohammed Faisal said: “Pakistan’s Consulate General in Jalalabad which was closed on August 30, 2018 will resume its visa operations, after assurances by the Afghan government that all necessary and required security will be provided to the Consulate Generals.”
He added: “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.”
Other officials at the foreign ministry told The Nation that the two sides were in talks and had agreed to remove misunderstandings. “We are in talks with Afghanistan. Of course good ties with Afghanistan are in our interest. We have agreed to remove misunderstandings and move forward. The US is supporting our efforts. We (Pakistan and Afghanistan) are getting closer,” said one official.
The US recently asked Pakistan to ‘perform’ in Afghanistan as Islamabad requested Washington to restore the financial aid.
Earlier, the US military said it had made a decision to cancel $300 million in aid to Pakistan that had been suspended over Islamabad’s perceived failure to take decisive action against militants.
The so-called Coalition Support Funds were part of a broader suspension in aid to Pakistan announced by President Trump at the start of the year, when he accused Pakistan of rewarding past assistance with “nothing but lies and deceit.”
The Trump administration alleged Islamabad was granting safe haven to insurgents who are waging a 17-year-old war in neighboring Afghanistan, a charge Pakistan denies.
Over the weekend, Prime Minister Imran Khan said that Pakistan wanted ties with the US on equality basis as a sovereign country. Speaking to Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who briefed him about his visit to the US here, PM Khan said Pakistan and the US needed each other.
Last week, Pakistan pledged to support negotiations with the Taliban to end Afghanistan’s 17-year war and asked the US to restore military aid.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said he found Secretary of State Mike Pompeo “ready to listen” to Pakistan and said he was returning to Islamabad “slightly more hopeful” than before.
The US has pressed for years for Pakistan to crack down on militant groups involved in Afghanistan. The US alleges the insurgents have safe havens in Pakistan’s border areas, accusations which Islamabad has repeatedly denied.
Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and his team have been levelling allegations against Pakistan of sheltering and supporting the militants who were allegedly carrying out terror attacks in their country. Pakistan rejects the claims and has sought evidence.
This year, Afghan Interior Minister Wais Ahmad Barmak and National Directorate of Security chief Mohamed Masoom Stanekzai visited Pakistan, carrying a message from President Ashraf Ghani.
Pakistan later rejected the ‘documentary evidence’ shared by Afghanistan regarding the spate of attacks by the Taliban in the war-torn country. Islamabad however, pledged to cooperate with Kabul to fight terrorism.