Neighbourly ties: Afghanistan to open consulate in Lahore

Envoy stresses the importance of diplomatic setup in Punjab’s capital

ISLAMABAD:

Pakistan has agreed in principle to allow Afghanistan to open its consulate in Lahore that will increase the number of Afghan consulates in the country to four, Afghan ambassador Janan Mosazai told The Express Tribune.

Afghanistan currently has its consulates in Peshawar, Quetta and Karachi. “We had requested the Pakistan government and are hopeful that the officials will soon respond formally. They have, however, informed us that the proposal has been accepted in principle but we are waiting for a formal announcement,” said ambassador Mosazai.

The ambassador said Afghanistan will try to immediately open the proposed consulate as Lahore holds immense importance for promotion of economic, political and cultural relations.

The adviser to the prime minister on national security and foreign affairs, Sartaj Aziz, has apprised the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs that Afghan President Ashraf Ghani will visit Pakistan within a month.

Mosazai said that Afghan President Ghani and the Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah want good relations with Pakistan. “Joint Afghan-Pakistan Economic Commission will also meet soon to explore ways to further boost economic and trade relations.”

When asked if the two countries will be able to remove the mistrust that had hit bilateral relations, he said there had been substantial progress in some areas including economy and trade.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 29^th, 2014.