November 06, 2019
Islamabad and Kabul are once again in a tit-for-tat situation. Tensions between the two countries escalated amid a diplomatic row where the harassment of Pakistani diplomats serving in the Afghan capital has prompted Islamabad to halt its consular operations in Kabul until further notice.
The latest diplomatic clash between the neighbours happened on November 03, when Pakistan’s diplomatic staff was obstructed on the road and the embassy vehicles were also hit by motorcycles.
The incident reflects a usual pattern of events from Afghan security apparatus, erecting road-blocks to avoid sustainability of the confidence building measures and perpetuate the mistrust between the two sides by constantly denting positivity which could bring two countries closer.
Pakistan Foreign Office summoned the Afghan Chargé D’affaires after recurrent reported cases of Pakistani diplomatic personnel being harassed in the war-torn country. Serious concerns were conveyed to the Afghan official over the safety and security of embassy staff in Kabul and its sub-missions.
The Afghan foreign ministry, while responding to Pakistan’s complaints on November 04, vowed to seriously investigate the incident and individuals involved. Though, it alleged that the Afghan envoy in Islamabad was mistreated by the Pakistani authorities – a claim rejected by Islamabad.
The visa section of the Pakistan embassy in Kabul remained closed for three consecutive days – a collateral damage for many Afghans, due to political slipups on the part of Afghan security establishment. Hundreds of Afghans apply daily for permits to travel to Pakistan where they seek medical treatment, avail university education, meet relatives and do trade.
However, the Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul announced today, on November 06, that it will continue processing visa applications for medical emergencies/patients despite the closure of consular services. The move, probably on humanitarian grounds, speaks volumes about sanity prevailing at this side of the border, while Afghan security establishment is still engaged in obstructionism to even the miniscule progress made towards bringing the two countries closer.
Furthermore, the Pakistani Embassy in Kabul recently announced that it had issued more than 450,000 visas to Afghan applicants in the last 9 months at an average of 53,000 visas per month. However, a large number of Pakistani visa applications are still pending.
Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have long been marred by mistrust and suspicion and the recent development has stained, if not reversed, the confidence building measures shown by the both sides in recent months; hence, both sides should be wary of spoilers.
© Center for Research and Security Studies (CRSS) and Afghan Studies Center (ASC), Islamabad.
