A property row may turn into problems to delay Pakistan's reopening of its Consulate in India's Mumbai originally scheduled at the end of this year.
"We still have not been able to acquire any property to open the Consulate in Mumbai," said Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Mohammad Sadiq Thursday.
"As soon as a suitable property is available, Pakistan will open its consulate in Mumbai," Sadiq added.
Pakistan and India set up their consulates in Mumbai and Karachi respectively after they won independence from British rule in 1947. But the two countries closed down their consulates in mid-1990s following a diplomatic standoff.
As part of Pakistan-India peace process, the two countries agreed in 2005 to reopen their consulates in Mumbai and Karachi by the end of this year. But the process was delayed as Pakistan failed to find suitable property.
Pakistan prefers the 1936-built Jinnah House in Mumbai, but the Indian government rejected this request.
"Pakistan's request to the Indian government to allow the opening of its consulate in Jinnah House remains." said Sadiq.
"In the meantime, Pakistan has continued to find another premise in Mumbai. However, these efforts have not succeeded as yet," Sadiq added.
Source:Xinhua
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