August 01, 2008	Friday	Rajab 28, 1429

KABUL, July 31: An explosion outside a Pakistani consulate in western Afghanistan wounded at least one person on Thursday, officials said.

The explosives were attached to a bicycle outside the gates of the consulate in the city of Herat, said Naeem Khan, spokesman for the Pakistan’s Embassy in Kabul. He said a policeman was wounded.

But according to Mir Ahmad, a police official in Herat, two people were hurt — a police guard and a woman. No one was injured inside the consulate, Khan said.

Pakistan’s government was quick to condemn the blast and remind the Afghan government of its duty to protect diplomatic offices.

“We hope that government of Afghanistan will take its responsibility seriously,” a statement from Pakistan’s foreign ministry said.

Afghanistan’s government said in a statement that it also “strongly condemned the blast.”—AP