ISLAMABAD, Nov 8: The government on Thursday asked the Afghan embassy to close down its Karachi consulate and immediately withdraw all its staff stationed there.

“We have asked the Afghanistan embassy to withdraw all the personnel from its Karachi consulate except the caretakers,” FO Spokesman Aziz Khan said at the daily briefing.

The Afghan embassy in Islamabad and its consulates in Quetta and Peshawar would function normally, Mr Khan said.

The foreign office gave no reason for the decision to close down the consulate in Karachi, however an official said that it might have been done because of violent anti-US demonstrations recently held in Karachi.

To a question whether the decisions to stop Afghan Ambassador Mulla Mohammad Zaeef from holding press conferences and to close down consulate in Karachi had been taken under the US pressures, Mr Khan said that the Afghan ambassador was reminded of the third country rule and was asked to a observe diplomatic norms.

He said that Afghan ambassador had not been barred from holding press conferences. “He has been asked to observe third country rules,” he said.

On the reports that the US embassy was also indulging in propaganda against the Taliban, the spokesman said that the third country rule was equally applicable to the US embassy. “At present we have no information of the Americans in Pakistan misusing their diplomatic privilege by indulging in anti-Taliban propaganda.”

About chances of President Musharraf’s meeting with Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee in New York, he said: “So far it is not on the cards.”

He said in the meeting between the presidents of Pakistan and the United States, all important subjects including Afghanistan situation, campaign against international terrorism and Pakistan-India relations would be discussed. The spokesman dismissed reports that thousands of Pakistanis were crossing over to Afghanistan to join the fighting, reiterating the government’s stated position that border with Afghanistan was closed.

He said according to the information no border crossing had taken place during the last two or three days.

When asked to comment on reports that the United States was about to ask Pakistan to provide ground troops for operations in Afghanistan, the spokesman said it was a baseless report.

He also denied reports that Pakistan nuclear reactors had been closed down.

AGENCIES ADD: To a question about news report that some cluster bombs had been found in Balochistan, the spokesman said that the place mentioned in the report was very remote area and we were trying to confirm it. “As soon we get information we will convey it to you.”

A source at the Karachi consulate said the staff had been given three days to leave. The outspoken consul-general, Maulvi Rahamatullah Kakazada, had been summoned to Islamabad two days ago when the deadline was given.