Pak defence minister Asif further warned that the growing instability in Afghanistan was having an impact on Pakistan…reports Asian Lite News
Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that the Taliban-led government in Afghanistan had accepted its mistake in attacking a village on the border that left eight people dead and over 20 others injured.
Addressing the National Assembly on Monday, Asif detailed what led to the deadly border clash on Sunday, reports Samaa TV.
“The incident occurred in a village which is spread on both sides of the border,” he said, adding that the victims were repairing the border fence when they came under fire.
The first volley of firing did no damage, Samaa TV reported. The second volley, however, proved to be deadly and claimed the lives of seven civilians.
He admitted that in retaliatory action by Pakistan, Afghan troops were killed. After that, a border committee was convened, which reviewed the matter.
Asif further warned that the growing instability in Afghanistan was having an impact on Pakistan, Samaa TV reported.
“There is hunger and poverty there,” he said.
The Defence Minister said that Islamabad wants the way the Afghan Taliban fought its war is how they should govern. Unless Kabul and Islamabad cooperate, there will not be peace between the two countries, Samaa TV reported.
Shehbaz condemns
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday strongly condemned the “unprovoked” shelling across the Chaman border by the Afghan Taliban that killed six Pakistanis, the media reported.
Taking to his official Twitter handle, Shehbaz said that the “unprovoked shelling and fire” deserves “the strongest condemnation”, noting that the “unfortunate” incident resulted in the killing of several Pakistanis and left more than a dozen injured, Express Tribune reported.
The premier urged the Afghan interim government, yet to be internationally recognised, to “ensure that such incidents are not repeated”, Express Tribune reported.
A day earlier, Afghan forces fired rockets into the Pakistani territory from across the Chaman border, killing six civilians and injuring over two dozen as the rockets landed in Killi Sheikh Lal Muhammad.
The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement that the Pakistani forces gave a measured response to the aggression to avoid any civilian casualties.
The military’s media wing further said that Pakistan had approached the Afghan authorities in Kabul to highlight the severity of the situation and demanded strict action to obviate any such recurrence of the incident in future.
Residents of Killi Sheikh Lal Muhammad said that the rocket firing started all of a sudden and that rockets landed close to their homes, Express Tribune reported.