FO hands over demarche to Afghan envoy over detention of official

Published July 3, 2015
The ambassador to Afghanistan in Islamabad was summoned at the FO on Friday. —Dawn/File
The ambassador to Afghanistan in Islamabad was summoned at the FO on Friday. —Dawn/File

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan's Ambassador to Islamabad Janan Mosazai was summoned at the Foreign Office (FO) on Friday and a demarche was handed over to the envoy regarding the detention of a Pakistan Consulate General official.

The Pakistani official was forcibly taken away and kept in detention by Afghan authorities in Kandahar.

"Serious concern was also expressed on the unprovoked firing by the Afghan Border Police at Angoor Adda gate on the Pakistani side, which resulted in injuries to two security personnel," FO spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said.

In view of the recently enhanced brotherly relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan, it was emphasised that such incidents should not have taken place, Khalilullah added.

The Afghan envoy assured Pakistan that he would convey the concerns to higher authorities in Kabul.

The FO spokesman also said that the detained official was handed over to the Pakistani embassy in Kabul last last evening, after strenuous efforts were made.

Also read: Afghanistan summons Pak envoy over border clash

Yesterday, Afghan­istan summoned Pakistan’s ambassador over a border clash which was prompted by construction of a gate by Pakistan at the transit point.

Ambassador Abrar Huss­ain was summoned over a clash on Tuesday in which an Afghan guard was killed after Pakistani troops retaliated to Afghan firing at the under-construction gate in Angoor Adda bordering Afghanistan. Two Pakistani troops were injured in the clash.

Afghan deputy foreign minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai told Ambassador Hussain that the violation by Pakistan was against international and diplomatic norms. He warned that continued work on the gate could seriously harm ties.

Director General of the Inter-Service Public Relations (DG-ISPR) Maj Gen Asim Bajwa insists that construction was being undertaken on the Pakistani side and hence did not constitute a violation.

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