Threats confine Pakistani diplomats to Kabul embassy compound

Source says situation for Pakistani diplomats is like 'hostages' as they have not left embassy compound for a week

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani diplomats in Kabul have abandoned their residences and have been living in the embassy compound for past one week in the wake of growing incidents of ‘harassment’ on the streets of the Afghan capital, sources revealed on Sunday.

Dozens of staff members at the Pakistani embassy in Kabul have joined the ambassador and other diplomats to live in the compound, sources privy to the development told The Express Tribune.

Read: Pakistan embassy staff in Kabul limits movement

“The embassy has shared all incidents with the Afghan officials that also include an attempt of kidnapping of a Pakistani embassy’s official,” the source added.

Although Afghan government officials have assured maximum security to the Pakistani mission and the staffers; however, the diplomats are not ready to leave the embassy premises until they witness a substantial improvement in the city’s situation, The Express Tribune has learnt.

Despite verbal assurances, Afghan officials are yet to visit the Pakistani embassy to apprise the diplomats of the security measures being taken by the Afghan government.

"The situation for the Pakistani diplomats in Kabul is now like 'hostages' as they have not left the embassy compound for a week over serious security threats," the source further said.

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Pakistani officials were forced to move to the embassy following hostile statements issued by top Afghan leadership, including President Ashraf Ghani and Chief Executive Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Vice President General Rashid Dostam, and the Afghan spy agency, NDS, as they directly blamed Pakistan for a series of recent blasts in the Afghan capital and other cities this month.

Pakistan condemned the attacks and rejected the allegations levelled by the Afghan government as ‘baseless’.

Pakistani diplomats, along with other staff members, shifted to the embassy compound when “unidentified people in cars started chasing Pakistani embassy’s vehicles” during their movement between the embassy and their residences, a source said. “We are not moving back to residences as we do not see any change in the hostile environment.”

Meanwhile, some officials believe that Afghan security officials could be behind what they call an ‘organised’ campaign of harassment of everyone in the Pakistani embassy’s vehicles on the streets of Kabul.

According to official sources, Pakistan has less than 20 diplomats in its embassy in Kabul and its four consulates in Afghanistan while Afghanistan has nearly 55 diplomats in Islamabad and its consulates in Peshawar, Karachi and Quetta.

Earlier this week, Pakistani diplomats and staffers were forced to restrict their movement following the kidnapping bid of an embassy official and growing incidents of harassment; however, they have now limited themselves to the embassy’s compound to avoid any untoward incident.

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Due to heightened security concerns, the Pakistani embassy also postponed a test for Afghan students seeking Pakistani scholarships last week. The embassy had expressed its inability to arrange security measures for the students who were supposed to appear for the compulsory English language test.