Two Pakistani diplomats detained by Afghan spy agency

Afghan mission official summoned over three-hour long detention by NDS

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan lodged a strong protest with Afghanistan after two of its diplomats posted in Kabul were reportedly detained by Afghan security agencies on Wednesday -- in a latest incident suggesting simmering tensions between the two neighbours.

The diplomats were abducted by the National Directorate of Security (NDS) when they were purchasing stationery from a market in Kabul, and kept in detention for three hours, according to sources.

There was no immediate reaction from the Afghan government.

In Islamabad, the Afghan Deputy Head of Mission was summoned to the Foreign Office to lodge Pakistan’s strong protest over the incident.

An official statement said the two diplomatic officials in Kabul were detained, reportedly by Afghan security agencies.



The Afghan envoy was conveyed that the incident was a clear violation of the Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations (1961) and against the spirit of the brotherly relations between the two countries. It was emphasised that such incidents undermined the constructive engagement which the two countries envisaged for strengthening of bilateral ties.

“We urge the Afghan government to take immediate steps to ensure the security and safety of our diplomatic personnel and premises and to ensure that such incident do not take place in future,” the statement added.

Already tense for months, the relations between the two countries took a turn for the worse after bloody clashes between them near the Chaman border.

These hiccups came despite efforts in recent weeks by the two sides to reset their troubled ties. High-level Pakistani military and parliamentary delegations travelled to Afghanistan as part of the latest push to normalise ties with Kabul.



And an Afghan military delegation last week participated in a trilateral meeting, also involving Pakistan and the US, held in Rawalpindi to discuss issues related to security and border management.

Flag meeting

The flag meeting between Pakistan and Afghan military officials, held at the Friendship gate, on the border issue ended without any progress.

It was the fourth flag meeting held between senior military officials after the Afghan forces launched an attack on two villages, claiming 13 lives and injuring 40 others.

Sources said that the meeting which continued just half an hour, ended with no result as Afghan military officials insisted that Pakistani forces leave both border villages Killi Luqman and Killi Jahangir claiming that both the villages belonged to Afghanistan.

However, the military officials representing Pakistan in the flag meeting rejected the demand of the Afghan side and clarified that the geological survey conducted for determining the border proved that both the villages were located in Pakistan’s territory.