Islamabad: Pakistan has demanded Afghan authorities take “strict action” after a deadly cross-border shelling by Afghan Taliban forces killed six civilians and wounded 17 in Chaman border town in southwest Pakistan.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday condemned the cross-border firing incident and called on Kabul to ensure such incidents are not repeated in the future. “Unprovoked shelling and fire by Afghan border forces at Chaman resulting in martyrdom of several Pakistani citizens and injuring more than a dozen is unfortunate & deserves the strongest condemnation,” PM Sharif wrote on Twitter.
“Unprovoked and indiscriminate fire”
The Pakistani army’s media directorate blamed the casualties on the “unprovoked and indiscriminate fire” of heavy weapons including artillery by Afghan forces on civilians. The military clarified in its statement that the Pakistani border troops gave a “befitting albeit measured response against the uncalled-for aggression but avoided targeting innocent civilians”. The statement said Pakistan has approached Afghan authorities in Kabul to highlight the severity of the border incident and demanded strict action.
Strictest action demanded
In a separate statement, Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned the indiscriminate firing on the civilian population in Chaman. “The Afghan authorities have been informed that recurrence of such incidents must be avoided and strictest possible action must be taken against those responsible,” the foreign office said. “It remains the responsibility of both sides to protect civilians along the border. The concerned authorities of both countries remain in contact to ensure that there is no further escalation of the situation and recurrence of such incidents is avoided” the official statement said.
The latest border flare-up occurred at the same border crossing that was shuttered for eight days after a deadly shooting on November 13 in which one Pakistani security personnel was killed. Traders faced heavy losses and thousands of people were stranded on both sides during the week-long closure of Chaman - the main border crossing between the two countries.
Border clashes
Clashes along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border have been a recurring problem and the frequency has increased since the Taliban seized power in August 2021. Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Afghan authorities to stop terrorists from using Afghan soil to carry out attacks inside Pakistan.
The increasing number of cross-border attacks from Afghanistan targeting Pakistani security forces and civilians is being widely discussed in Islamabad. The border attacks by Afghan forces and recent attacks in Pakistan by the banned militant organization Tehreek-e-Taliban (TTP) were discussed on Monday at a seminar organised by Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) on challenges to peace and security in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Experts urged the Pakistani government to revisit its policy on Afghanistan as well as dialogue with TTP.
Moeed Yusuf, Pakistan’s former national security advisor, called for “institutional coordination” among all arms of the state, including local, provincial, and federal governments, civil law enforcement, and armed forces, for an effective response to the challenge. Yusuf said that he does “not see any possibility of a resurgence of terrorism in the way we had to confront 15 years ago”. While Pakistan’s counterterrorism potential capability has significantly improved in the last two decades, “the real distinguishing factor is the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa” who have stood up against all forms of terrorism, saying “this is not acceptable” and forced the state into action. “This strength alone is enough to ensure that there is no coordinated or organized resurgence of terrorism,” he said.
