Afghan diplomat killed in embassy in Pakistan

Third secretary shot dead in Karachi by consulate guard over ‘personal grudge’

An ambulance carrying the body of an Afghan diplomat leaves the Afghan consulate  in Karachi, Pakistan, following a shooting incident. Photograph: Shakil Adil/AP Photo
An ambulance carrying the body of an Afghan diplomat leaves the Afghan consulate in Karachi, Pakistan, following a shooting incident. Photograph: Shakil Adil/AP Photo

An Afghan diplomat was shot dead on Monday by a guard at the Afghan consulate in Pakistan’s southern city of Karachi in a personal dispute, officials said.

The consulate’s third secretary was killed by the consulate guard, also an Afghan national, who has been arrested, police official Saqib Ismail told Reuters.

“The guard used his automatic weapon, firing multiple bullets,” Mr Ismail said.

Afghanistan’s ministry for foreign affairs issued a statement identifying the murdered diplomat as Mohammed Zaki Abdu.

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“Police authorities immediately intervened to minimise further loss of life,” the statement said.

Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal wrote about the shooting on his official Facebook account.

“Firing inside Afghan consulate general in Karachi at around 12.30pm today . . . has been carried out by an Afghan guard inside the compound, resulting in fatality of one of our diplomats,” he wrote.

‘Personal grudge’

A police official told Reuters: “So far, from what we have gathered from investigation, the killing seems to be the result of some sort of personal grudge between the guard and third secretary.

“We have found there was a history of tensions between the two persons.”

Reuters