No decision yet to suspend operations at Pak consulates in Afghanistan: envoy

• Pakistan has not made any decision to suspend operations at its consulates in Afghanistan, says Pakistan's ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan. 
• Visas are being processed online owing to COVID-19 situation, says envoy. 
• Staff present at consulates have been cut to a minimum for security reasons, says diplomat.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has not decided to suspend operations of Pakistani consulates in Afghanistan, says Mansoor Ahmad Khan, the country's ambassador to Afghanistan.

The Afghan government has almost lost control of most of the country, following an eight-day onslaught by the Taliban who took control of the country's second-largest city - Kandahar on Friday. The Taliban advances have caught the United States by surprise as it nears a complete troop withdrawal by the end of the month.

The ambassador, however, said the number of staff at the Pakistani consulates has been reduced due to the security situation in the neighbouring country.

Only online visas are being issued due to the COVID-19 pandemic, said the ambassador.

Khan gave this message on microblogging website Twitter. "There is no decision to suspend operations of Pakistan’s Consulates General in Afghanistan," he said.

"In view of [the] security situation, staff strength has been minimised. Due to COVID-19, in-person visas are not being processed and only on-line visas are being issued."

Most of the staff members of the Pakistani consulates in Mazar-i-Sharif, Kandahar and Herat have been directed to relocate to Kabul to ensure their safety as the security situation in Afghanistan is deteriorating, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi told a local news channel.

The foreign minister said Islamabad has opted to minimise its staff and operations at its consulates in the neighbouring country. These consulates will operate with the least possible strength to process online visa applications, he said.

Last month, the Pakistani ambassador posted in Afghanistan returned to the country after Kabul decided to recall its ambassador and senior diplomats from Islamabad, citing security concerns. 

The Afghan foreign ministry issued him a demarche after an alleged kidnapping incident involving the Afghan ambassador's daughter in the federal capital. However, Pakistan's foreign minister avoided any statement to explain why Khan came back.