Pakistani consulate's visa section reopens in Afghanistan's Mazar-e-Sharif

Visa office was closed down after attempted grenade attack

The Pakistani consulate's visa section in Afghanistan's northern city of Mazar-e-Sharif reopened on Tuesday after the mission closed down earlier over a terror threat.

The consulate's visa section was closed two days ago after a standard security check revealed that an Afghan woman was using her handbag to try and sneak a grenade into the consulate.

She was subsequently arrested and investigations were underway to determine who was behind the now foiled attack.

Afghan authorities decided to reopen the visa office at the consulate after deliberating over its security and ensuring that adequate measures were taken to prevent such incidents in the future.



Meanwhile, on the day of the incident, Islamabad had urged the Afghan government to provide foolproof security to the consulate. The government also asked for the investigation’s findings to be shared with them at the earliest.

The attempted attack came a day after United State negotiators and the Afghan Taliban admitted there was 'progress on vital issues' during their talks in Qatar, albeit the insurgents said there was no agreement on ceasefire or talks with the Afghan government, which they deride as an American puppet.