Afghan forces’ unprovoked firing at Chaman border leaves 2 civilians dead, 1 injured

Afghan forces’ unprovoked firing at the Chaman border on Wednesday has left 2 civilians dead, and 1 injured.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that Afghan security forces on Wednesday opened “unprovoked and indiscriminate” fire on pedestrians crossing the Chaman border and martyred two Pakistani civilians, including a child.

“The incident occurred at the outbound gate located on the zero line,” the statement said, adding that two Pakistani citizens — including a 12-year-old — embraced martyrdom, while another child was injured.

The bodies of the deceased were shifted to the DHQ Hospital Chaman. The injured child, who was immediately evacuated by security forces, is under treatment.

“In response, Pakistani troops exercised extreme restraint and avoided any exchange of fire in the presence of innocent passengers to avoid collateral damage,” the ISPR said.

The ISPR said Islamabad has approached Kabul’s authorities to inquire about the reason behind such an irresponsible and reckless act and to apprehend and hand over the culprit to Pakistani authorities.

It added that the interim Afghan government was expected to “exercise control over its troops and impart discipline to act responsibly in order to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future”.

“Pakistan remains committed to contributing towards peace, prosperity, and development through positive and constructive bilateral relations, however, such unpleasant occurrences have the potential to harm the sincere intent and purpose,” the ISPR statement concluded.

Today’s incident comes a day after the caretaker government gave an ultimatum to all undocumented immigrants, including Afghan nationals, to leave Pakistan by November 1.