By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has called on Germany to take immediate action to prosecute those responsible for vandalizing its consulate in Frankfurt, urging Berlin to fulfill its responsibilities under the Vienna Conventions.
The incident, which occurred on July 20, saw a group of individuals, reportedly Afghan nationals, attack the consulate, endangering the lives of staff members. A video of the incident showed protesters carrying placards and Afghan flags, with some climbing the flagpole to remove the Pakistani flag and others pelting the building with rocks.
“We have conveyed our serious concerns [over the attack on Pakistan’s consulate in Frankfurt],” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said in a statement. “Pakistan strongly condemns yesterday’s attack by a gang of extremists on its consulate in Frankfurt, Germany, and the failure of the German authorities to protect the sanctity and security of the premises of its consular Mission.”
Baloch said it was the responsibility of the host country to protect the sanctity of the consular premises and ensure the security of diplomats under the Vienna Convention 1963.
“We urge the German authorities to take immediate measures to arrest and prosecute those involved in yesterday’s incident and hold to account those responsible for the lapses in security.”
In a separate message on social media platform X, Pakistan’s embassy in Germany called on the people to remain “patient and calm” after the incident.
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif criticized the actions of Afghan nationals, saying, “There’s a limit to hospitality. They swore at us; they swore at Pakistan… I think Pakistan needs to rethink their hospitality.”
The incident has sparked tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, with Pakistan hosting over 3 million Afghan refugees. German media reported that the demonstration was organized to highlight complaints against Pakistan’s military and intelligence services.
Tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan have intensified in recent months, with a surge in militant attacks on Pakistani soil and cross-border strikes sparking a war of words between the two nations.
Since the Afghan Taliban’s takeover of Kabul in August 2021, Pakistan has seen a significant increase in attacks by the Pakistani Taliban, or Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), following the collapse of a fragile truce in November 2022.
Islamabad has repeatedly accused Kabul of harboring TTP militants and has called on the Afghan government to take decisive action against the group. However, Afghanistan has denied the allegations, warning Pakistan against pursuing threats of cross-border attacks.
Bilateral ties have also been strained since Pakistan launched a deportation drive last year, targeting undocumented foreigners, primarily Afghan nationals.
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