Pak-Afghan tension intensifies as embassy in Kabul shut.

Byline: SHAFQAT ALI

ISLAMABAD -- Tension between Pakistan and Afghan intensified yesterday as Islamabad shut its embassy in Kabul.

Pakistan's embassy in Kabul announced it will remain shut indefinitely following the harassment of its diplomats by residents of Afghanistan's capital.

The Pakistani mission said that the 'Consular Section of the Embassy of Pakistan, Kabul will be closed from tomorrow, Monday, 4th November, 2019 until further intimation' due to security concerns.

Islamabad had also summoned Afghanistan's charge d'affaires to protest the harassment of Pakistani diplomats in Kabul.

'The Afghan Charge d'affaires was summoned today to convey serious concerns over the safety and security of the diplomatic personnel of the Embassy of Pakistan, Kabul, and its sub-missions,' said a statement issued by the Foreign Office, adding that the harassment had persisted for two days.

Washington asks neighbours to resolve issues through talks

Senior government officials told The Nation that Kabul had been asked to ensure security to the Pakistani diplomats. 'There is a tension. (Afghan) President Ashraf Ghani is also not happy with us (Pakistan) for our role in peace talks with the Taliban,' said one official.

Another official said Pakistan has made it clear to Afghanistan that security and safety of 'our diplomats is the responsibility of the Afghanistan government.'

He added: 'We cannot run the embassy and consulates amid security risks. Afghanistan has to give us guarantees on security.'

The official said Washington had contacted Islamabad and urged for talks to resolve the Pak-Afghan differences. 'The US also contacted Afghanistan. They have asked us to hold talks with Afghanistan,' he said, citing contacts with the US.

The Foreign Office said Pakistani officials' vehicles had been obstructed, and motorcycles have also hit them during employees' daily commute to the mission. It said Kabul had been informed that under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities 1961, it was the Afghan government's responsibility to ensure the safety, security and freedom of movement of diplomats. The closure of the visa section is likely to have the greatest impact, as hundreds of Afghans apply for permission to travel to Pakistan daily.

The consular section typically processes about 1,500 visa applications a day. A spokesperson said while the mission is Kabul was closed, visas would continue to be processed in Herat, Jalalabad and...