Afghan consulate reopens in Peshawar after 3 months shut

Afghanistan has reopened its consulate in Peshawar after nearly three months over the dispute on the ownership of a marketplace in Peshawar.

According to details, the consulate was closed in early October after the Afghan embassy in Islamabad said police in Peshawar removed the Afghan national flag from a market, which Afghanistan says is its property.

First Secretary at the Afghan consulate in Peshawar Faridoon Haiderkhel said the consulate has resumed visa operations from Friday.

He posted on his Facebook page that the people in Peshawar can now approach the diplomatic mission for visas.

The whole controversy started when an Afghan delegation wrapped up talks in Pakistan to settle dispute over the ownership of a marketplace in Peshawar.

The Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that a Pakistani citizen, Shaukat Kashmiri, is the owner of the Afghan Market, instructing the authorities to vacate the building and hand it over to Shaukat Kashmiri.

After the ruling the local authorities of Peshawar took action against the shopkeepers and also removed Afghanistan’s national flag from the market.

Meanwhile, Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Atif Mashal went to Peshawar and hoisted the flag again which heightened tensions between the two countries.

But now Afghanistan has reopened its consulate in Peshawar but Pakistan did not reopen the consular section of its embassy in Kabul yet that was closed on Nov 3 owing to ‘harassment’ of Pakistani diplomats in the Kabul.

It is to be noted that Pakistan is offering scholarships to 1,000 Afghan students as part of its Allama Iqbal Scholarship Programmed. The program was launched at a largely-attended function at a hotel in Kabul.