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.

Opinion

Editorial

Privatisation divide
14 May, 2024

Privatisation divide

WITH Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar having clawed his way back to the centre of economic policymaking, a tussle...
AJK protests
14 May, 2024

AJK protests

SINCE last week, Azad Jammu & Kashmir has been roiled by protests, fuelled principally by a disconnect between...
Guns and guards
14 May, 2024

Guns and guards

THERE are some flawed aspects to our society that we must start to fix at the grassroots level. One of these is the...
Spending restrictions
Updated 13 May, 2024

Spending restrictions

The country's "recovery" in recent months remains fragile and any shock at this point can mean a relapse.
Climate authority
13 May, 2024

Climate authority

WITH the authorities dragging their feet for seven years on the establishment of a Climate Change Authority and...
Vending organs
13 May, 2024

Vending organs

IN these cash-strapped times, black marketers in the organ trade are returning to rake it in by harvesting the ...