3 injured in IED blast outside Pakistan Consulate General in Jalalabad: FO spokesperson

Published August 25, 2019
Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal. — AFP/File
Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal. — AFP/File

An improvised explosive device (IED) went off outside the Pakistan Consulate General in Jalalabad, Afghanistan on Sunday, Foreign Office spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal said.

In a post on Twitter, the FO spokesperson said that all Pakistani staff were safe, however, added that "one policeman and two applicants are reportedly wounded."

"We are in contact with Afghan authorities to ensure strengthened security for Consulate General’s premises and personnel," he added.

The consulate had been shut down in August last year, before resuming operations two months later.

Pakistan had cited ‘undue interference’ by the governor of Afghanistan’s Nangarhar province in its working and other security concerns as the reasons for the consulate’s closure.

The Foreign Office had said that the consulate is resuming its visa operations “after assurances by the Afghan government that all necessary and required security will be provided to the Consulate Generals.”

The eastern Afghan city of Jalalabad, also the provincial capital of Nangarhar, has seen violence erupt multiple times in the recent past.

Most recently, on August 19, a series of bombings struck restaurants and public squares, wounding at least 34 people as the country marked the 100th anniversary of its independence.

No group claimed responsibility for the 10 bombs but both, the militant Islamic State (IS) group and the Afghan Taliban militants, operate in the area.

Earlier, in May, three explosions had ripped through the Afghan provincial capital, killing three people and wounding another 20.

No one had claimed responsibility for this attack either.

Opinion

Editorial

PIA’s privatisation
Updated 01 Jul, 2026

PIA’s privatisation

THE management control of PIA has finally been transferred to a consortium comprising private investors and the ...
Rights beyond rulings
01 Jul, 2026

Rights beyond rulings

THE Supreme Court’s recent ruling that jewellery, bridal gifts and dowry articles given to a bride remain her...
Asia left behind
01 Jul, 2026

Asia left behind

ALARMING regression has been witnessed in the Asian teams at the FIFA World Cup. A record nine representatives from...
Resurgent threat
Updated 30 Jun, 2026

Resurgent threat

THE message from Islamabad to Kabul seems to be clear: any act of terrorism inside Pakistan found to be linked to...
Unchecked powers
30 Jun, 2026

Unchecked powers

THERE is little disagreement that Punjab needs stronger tools to combat organised crime, habitual offenders and...
Patriot Pass
30 Jun, 2026

Patriot Pass

IT must be a shared humanity that has bonded the ‘leader of the free world’ so closely with his counterparts in...