PESHAWAR: Afghanistan closed its consulate in Peshawar for an indefinite period on Friday to protest the elimination of its national flag from a disputed property known as the Afghan Market.
"We condemn the withdrawal of our national flag from the market by the police and close the consulate in Peshawar for an indefinite period," said Afghan consul general Muhammad Hashim Niazi at a press conference.
"The consulate is closed for an indefinite period as a protest against the unjustified action of the police and the administration," he said.
He described the removal of the "disputed" property flag as a violation of diplomatic norms. The Afghan flag was hoisted over the market again and its ambassador dealt with the matter with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Consul General Hashim Niazi told reporters that, despite the warnings, police raided the market on Thursday night and withdrew the flag of Afghanistan.
Hashim Niazi said that the land mafia was behind the dispute and that his motive was to sow discord between the two countries.
The Afghan diplomat asked Islamabad to "suspend the verdict of the court" and, instead, solve the problem through diplomatic channels.
The district administration evicted 180 Afghan merchants from the market and withdrew the national flag of the country on October 8 after Syed Intekhab Haider Abidi, the owner of the market, filed a petition for contempt of court in Peshawar High Court, seeking the implementation of a previous sentence. in his favor Later, the administration handed over possession of the stores to Mr. Abidi.
The market is in front of Jinnah Park and extends over five land kanals. The National Bank of Afghanistan has been raising more than 1.5 million rupees as rent for tenants per month through its manager.
The place had been in the possession of the Afghan government for the last decades.
Posted on Dawn, October 12, 2019
Source: https://www.dawn.com/news/1510405/kabul-closes-its-peshawar-consulate-to-protest-flag-removal