Twelve Afghan women were killed in a stampede that occurred Wednesday in a football ground in Jalalabad city, where thousands of people had gathered to secure Pakistani visas, officials said.
Ataullah Khogyani, a spokesman for provincial governor, said that 13 others including 10 women and three men were injured in the incident.
“Deeply saddened at the reports of casualties at a stadium in Jalalabad 5 km from Pakistani Consulate where visa applicants were being organized by Afghan provincial authorities. We sympathize with the families of victims,” Pakistan’s Ambassador Mansoor Ahmad Khan said.
“We are engaged with Afghan authorities for better facilitation of visa applicants. We are committed to continue visa issuance to Afghan nationals under new visa policy while making the process smoother and streamlined at our end,” the envoy added.
