KARACHI: Pakistan’s mission in Kabul has requested Islamabad to “construct purpose-built consular hall” and provide “adequate human resource” to deal with the overwhelming number of visa applicants who created an uproar outside the embassy earlier in the day, said a foreign ministry official while talking to Arab News on Sunday.
“Consular services of Pakistan embassy in Kabul are continuing smoothly,” Radio Pakistan announced, adding that officials of the Pakistan embassy in Kabul were in close contact with Afghan authorities after some visa applicants created law and order situation by blocking roads leading to the diplomatic facility.
“There was no incident involving the Pakistan embassy premises as claimed in some [media] reports,” the state-owned radio station continued.
A similar protest took place outside the embassy last year on August 18, with protesters demanding a smooth visa process.
Pakistan hosts 1.39 million Afghan nationals who left their country due to decades of conflict, according to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. Many Afghans also visit their eastern neighbor for trade and better health care facilities.
Regarding Sunday’s protest, Pakistan’s diplomatic mission in Kabul has informed Islamabad that it took place on the first working day after Eid Al-Fitr since the embassy was dealing with more than the usual number of visa applicants who had to form long queues.
“Few elements at the rare of the queues blocked the road leading to the embassy and started protesting. In response, police arrived and dispersed the crowd,” an official in Islamabad told Arab News on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media.
“The embassy may increase the number of visa applications collected every day. It may also increase time and number of windows to collect these requests. Other than that, it may also provide more facilities to medical visa applicants,” he continued, adding these were also the three demands protesters conveyed to the embassy officials.
He also claimed that Pakistan’s diplomatic mission always tried to accommodate maximum number of visa applicants. However, it was not always possible to entertain all of them due to the growing number of people seeking to travel to Pakistan since the embassy had limited resources.
“Our diplomatic mission has reiterated that the only possible solution to this chronic problem is the construction of a purpose-built consular hall and provision of adequate human resource,” the official said while quoting the embassy’s communication with the foreign office in Islamabad.
Despite disruption, consular services in Kabul continue: Pakistan embassy
Despite disruption, consular services in Kabul continue: Pakistan embassy
- Afghan protesters blocked roads leading to the diplomatic facility on Sunday
- More resources required to deal with increasing number of visa applicants, says an official
Qatar, Pakistan resolve to boost strategic, economic cooperation at Doha talks
- Both countries urge dialogue on Afghanistan amid renewed border tensions between Islamabad and Kabul
- Discussions focus on bilateral trade and investment, energy, defense, manpower and labor and culture
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Qatar on Tuesday agreed to deepen their strategic and economic cooperation during high-level talks between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and his Qatari counterpart Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, Sharif’s office said.
Sharif visited Qatar along with a high-level delegation on the invitation of Qatari emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani. The Pakistani premier also held meetings with Qatar’s trade and defense ministers to discuss cooperation in various domains.
The visit came at a time when Pakistan is seeking closer economic engagement with Gulf partners amid its broader push to stabilize the economy and attract investment, while maintaining security and defense cooperation with key regional states.
During their meeting in Doha, PM Sharif and Qatar’s Sheikh Mohammed discussed bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and international developments, according to the Pakistan prime minister’s office.
“They reaffirmed the strong brotherly relations between Pakistan and Qatar and expressed satisfaction at the growing momentum in political, economic and institutional ties,” Sharif’s office said.
“Discussions focused on enhancing cooperation in the fields of trade and investment, energy, defense, manpower and labor and culture, with both sides stressing the importance of their task force to accelerate cooperation in all these areas.”
Pakistan and Qatar maintain strong trade and investment ties. In 2022, the office of Qatar’s emir said the Qatar Investment Authority planned to invest $3 billion in Pakistan, targeting sectors including transport, aviation, education, health, media, technology and labor.
Nearly 300,000 Pakistanis live and work in Qatar, according to Pakistan’s foreign office, with many employed in health, education, engineering and public services, as well as construction and transport. The two countries engage through forums such as the Bilateral Political Consultations and the Joint Ministerial Commission.
Sharif said he had productive discussions with Qatar’s emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, on how the two sides could transform their brotherly ties into mutually beneficial economic relationships.
“We also took stock of the regional situation,” he said on X. “Pakistan and Qatar will continue to work together for peace and stability in the region and beyond.”
DIALOGUE WITH AFGHANISTAN
Earlier, Sharif and Qatar’s Deputy PM Sheikh Saoud Al-Thani discussed the situation in Afghanistan and called for dialogue to support regional stability.
The meeting took place amid renewed tensions after Islamabad carried out airstrikes last week on what it described as Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) targets inside Afghanistan. Kabul said the strikes killed civilians and vowed to respond to what it called a violation of its sovereignty.
“Regional developments were also discussed, in particular the situation in Iran and Afghanistan,” Sharif’s office said in a statement. “Both sides emphasized the importance of dialogue, de-escalation and collective efforts to promote peace and stability in the region.”
This was the second time in less than six months that Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Afghanistan. The last strikes triggered heavy, weeklong clashes between the neighbors along their border before Qatar and Turkiye mediated a ceasefire between them in Oct. last year.
Separately, Sharif held meetings with Qatar’s State Minister for Trade Dr. Ahmed bin Mohammed Al-Sayed and a delegation of the Qatar Businessmen Association (QBA), highlighting Pakistan’s investment-friendly reforms.
He invited QBA members to explore opportunities in infrastructure, logistics, energy, agriculture, technology and export-oriented manufacturing, his office said.
