Friday's incident in the border town of Chaman in Pakistan's south-west Baluchistan province was the latest escalation between the two neighbours who share a volatile and porous boundary. Pakistani army spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor said the army shut the border crossing in Chaman in response to the early morning attack, blocking all movement of people and supplies to its landlocked neighbour.
Residents in the area said Pakistani and Afghan security personnel exchanged fire using light and heavy weapons. "So far, we have received nine bodies. These civilians were killed as a result of the Afghan shelling," said Akhtar Mohammad, a doctor at the state-run hospital in Chaman. He said some of the wounded were in critical condition.
Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif issued a statement describing the Afghan firing as an "unfortunate." He urged Kabul to put an end to cross-border attacks, warning that they threaten efforts to bring peace to Afghanistan. According to local residents, dozens of shells slammed into nearby villages, as well as close to the regional headquarters of Pakistan's paramilitary forces. Several of the wounded said their homes were destroyed in the exchange.
Yet Zia Durrani, a spokesman for the police chief in Afghanistan's Kandahar province, however, blamed Pakistan for initiating the gunbattle. He accused Islamabad of using the census as a mask to conceal the crossing of militants from Pakistan into Afghanistan. Pakistan shares a 2,200-kilometer- (1,375 mile-) long porous border with Afghanistan. Pakistan currently hosts 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees and another 1 million unregistered. They routinely get caught in the middle when tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalate.
Pakistan started conducting a nationwide census in mid-March, with censor-takers going door-to-door to collect information. The census - the country's first since 1998 - has reignited a centuries-old border dispute between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
BR Reporter adds: In a statement the ISPR condemned the cross-border firing. It stated, "This was done despite the fact that Afghan authorities had been informed well in advance and co-ordination was carried out through diplomatic and military channels for conduct of census." Since 30th April last, the ISPR stated, Afghan Border Police have been creating hurdles in conduct of census in divided villages of Killi Luqman and Killi Jahangir in the Chaman area on Pakistani side of the border.
The Chaman crossing was closed as a result of unprovoked firing from Afghan side. Exchange of fire was stopped after a hotline contact between Pakistan and Afghan DGs Military Operations. Soon after the incident, hotline contact between Pakistan and Afghan Director General Military Operation was established. Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Pakistan Army Major General Sahir Shamshad Mirza condemned unprovoked firing on Pakistani villagers and security forces which caused casualties.
He told his counterpart that the villages are divided ie situated on both sides but Pakistan forces and civilians are on their own side of the border. Afghan Director General Military Operations acknowledge that border is in between villages and not at the ditch which is well inside Pakistan as being perceived by them. He asked Afghan DG MO that to stay their forces on their side of the border and defuse the situation. The DG MO Pakistan Army told his counterpart, "We shall continue our work within our border." A local commanders' level Border Flag meeting was held after the contact between the DGs MO. The Afghan DG MO agreed to take up the matter and issue necessary orders accordingly.
Copyright Associated Press, 2017
Copyright Business Recorder, 2017