Islamabad (Web Desk): Pakistan on Wednesday expressed deep grief over the loss of Afghan lives and injuries in a stampede near Pakistan consulate in Jalalabad.
“Our sympathies go out to all those affected by the tragic incident, where applicants for Pakistani visas were being gathered under the arrangements of the provincial Afghan authorities”, Pakistan’s foreign office said in a statement.
The statement added that the government of Pakistan has recently announced a new visa policy to facilitate Afghan brothers and sisters in view of large number of visa applications, the Radio Pakistan reported.
The Embassy of Pakistan in Kabul and the sub-missions in Jalalabad, Kandahar, Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif are now issuing multiple entry visas to Afghan applicants intending to visit Pakistan for family, business, medical treatment, education and other purposes,
While the Embassy of Pakistan and the sub-missions in Afghanistan are committed to implement this new visa policy and to extend maximum facilitation to the visa applicants, we would request the understanding and cooperation of the Afghan people as well as the Afghan authorities to ensure better and secure management of the visa applicants.
According to foreign media, at least 15 people were killed and several others were injured in stampede near Pakistani consulate in Afghanistan’s Jalalabad.
According to reports the incident occurred after thousands of Afghan nationals gathered in an open ground near the consulate to secure Pakistani visas.
The Pakistani consulate had resumed issuing visas last week after a closure of seven months due to COVID-19 pandemic.