KABUL: Pakistan on Sunday announced it was shutting down its consulate in Afghanistan’s northern city of Mazar-i-Sharif after it said an Afghan woman was caught trying to sneak a hand grenade into the mission.
The woman has been arrested by Afghan police and is facing investigation, the Pakistan embassy said in a statement.
The Pakistan Consulate will remain closed for "visa services till the provision of fool-proof security by the [Afghan] authorities," the statement said.
The Afghan foreign ministry in Kabul said it was not aware of the incident but Munir Ahmad Farhad, a spokesman for the provincial governor, confirmed it.
“The woman named Farhnaz, who is below the age of 17, had gone inside the consulate with her mother," he told Arab News. "She carried a hand grenade inside her bag. She is being questioned to find out the motive behind this. It is too early to comment what her intention could have been."
