Afghanistan summons Pakistan envoy over diplomats “harassment”

KABUL’s Ambassador to Kabul Sayed Abrar Hussain was called in to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) on Sunday in connection with “the arrest and harassment” of four Afghan Consulate General diplomats in Peshawar by police.

A statement from the MoFA said that Deputy Foreign Minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai expressed the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’s strong protest and concern to Pakistan’s ambassador over the arrest of Afghan diplomats by the Pakistani police.

Karzai termed it “as blatant violation of the principle of diplomatic relations.” Karzai asked the ambassador to share the strong protest and concern of Afghanistan with his country’s authorities and ask them to thoroughly investigate the reasons.

He added that the cooperation and relations between the two countries has entered a new phase and it should not be strained by such acts.

Moreover, the Deputy Foreign Minister expressed Afghanistan’s concern over harassment of the Afghan refugees by the police in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and wanted it to be stopped.

He also said that until the visit of the Afghan high-ranking delegation to Pakistan and their negotiation with the Pakistani authorities aimed at phased return of the Afghan refugees, there is an urgent need to halt the process of forced expulsion.

The Pakistani ambassador reassured that he would take up the issue with his country’s authorities to take necessary measures.

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