Pakistan dismayed by Afghanistan's decision to shut consulate over market ownership dispute

Pakistan on Saturday expressed dismay at Afghanistan's decision to close its consulate in Peshawar over the market ownership dispute and urged the country to immediately review the move.

The consulate was shut on Friday in protest against the raid by Pakistani policemen in an Afghan market and the removal of an Afghan flag from the place.

"We regret the announcement that the Consulate General of Afghanistan in Peshawar has been closed in protest at this point. We hope that this step would be immediately reviewed and that a private legal case would not be allowed to adversely affect the relations between the two brotherly countries," a statement by Pakistan foreign office read.

The statement further said that Pakistan rejects "insinuations contained in the statement issued by the Afghan Foreign Ministry regarding a market in Peshawar" and deeply regrets that a " distorted and misleading account of the issue and related events has been presented."

The Afghan consulate claims the Afghan market as a property of the Afghan government. However, reports suggest that there is another claimant to the property.