Daily Times

Afghanistan on Friday said it had shut down its consulate in Peshawar over the removal of the Afghan flag from a market in the city.

The Afghan Embassy in Islamabad said the police in Peshawar, capital of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, conducted an overnight raid on the Afghan market and removed the flag despite warning against such an action.

The controversy started after the Supreme Court of Pakistan ruled that a Pakistani citizen Shaukat Kashmiri was the owner of the building, instructing the authorities to vacate the building and hand it over to Kashmiri.

On its part, the Afghan embassy insisted that Afghanistan owns the area and it was purchased before the birth of Pakistan. The plot belonged to Afghan National Bank, according the embassy.

The local authorities in Peshawar took action against the shopkeepers this week and also removed Afghanistan’s national flag. A day later, Afghan Ambassador Atif Mashal went to Peshawar and hoisted the flag.

The Afghan embassy said that it had shared the position of the Afghan government with the media about the police raids on the Afghan market, closing of shops and beating the shopkeepers, as well as removal of the national flag of Afghanistan.

“We had categorically stated that the Afghan government will shut down its consulate general if these actions are repeated. Unfortunately, the Pakistani provincial government’s police again conducted [a] raid and removed [the] Afghan flag late night and did not inform the Afghan government,” the Pashto language statement said.

The embassy strongly condemned the action and viewed it as “against diplomatic norms and good neighbourly” relations, and shut down its consulate as a reaction.

As the Pakistani apex court delivered the verdict in favour of Pakistani citizen this week, the Pakistani authorities started vacating shops at the market and removed the Afghan national flag.

Foreign Office Spokesman Mohammad Faisal says that the case for legal possession of the Afghan market in Peshawar was between a private Pakistani claimant and the Afghan National Bank.

“The Supreme Court has decided in favour of the private claimant. It is a purely a legal matter and action has been taken following court’s order,” the spokesman told the weekly briefing on Thursday.

Talking about the Afghan ambassador’s visit and hoisting the flag, the spokesman said appropriate steps would be taken regarding any undiplomatic action.