Pakistan closes Consulate at Mazar-e-Sharif after failed terror attempt

The Pakistan Consulate located in the Afghan city of Mazar-e-Sharif was ordered to close on Sunday after a woman was caught entering into the premises carrying hand grenade in her bag, the Afghan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.

The press statement issued by the Afghan Foreign Ministry on Sunday stated that the anonymous woman has been arrested by the police and is being interrogated.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has asked the Afghan Ministry to necessitate a tight security zone near its Consulate General in Mazar-e-Sharif and provide a detailed reportage of the investigation into the matter at the earliest.

The Consulate in Mazar-e-Sharif will remain closed until Afghan authorities manage to provide full proof security in Mazar-e-Sharif to prevent any mishap at the Consulate in the future.

The incident comes a day after the United States and Taliban confirmed “significant progress” in finding a solution to end the 17 years of long-running war in Afghanistan, at the six-day talks recently held in Qatar.

US Special Envoy Zalmay Khalilzad reportedly said the talks were aimed at reforms and not for a demand by the Taliban to control Afghanistan.

The Taliban also offered assurances that Afghanistan will not be used by al Qaeda and Islamic State militants to attack the United States and its allies – a key early demand of Washington.