Chaman incident: Pakistan demands strict action against unprovoked firing by Afghan border forces

Pakistan demands strict action against unprovoked firing by Afghan border forces in the Chaman area on Sunday.

As reported, the Afghan border forces opened unprovoked and indiscriminate fire, using heavy weapons at the civilian area in Balochistan’s Chaman city resulting in the martyrdom of six people and injuries to 17 others.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in a statement shared on Monday via a tweet termed the Chaman incident as “unfortunate” and asked the Afghanistan government to “ensure that such incidents are not repeated.”

“Unprovoked shelling & fire by Afghan Border Forces at Chaman resulting in the martyrdom of several Pakistani citizens & injuring more than a dozen is unfortunate & deserves the strongest condemnation. The Afghan Interim government should ensure that such incidents are not repeated,” PM Shehbaz Sharif said.

Earlier in the day, Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said such unfortunate incidents are not in keeping with the brotherly ties between the two countries.

She said the Afghan authorities have been informed that the recurrence of such incidents must be avoided and the strictest possible action must be taken against those responsible.

The Spokesperson said it is the responsibility of both sides to protect civilians along the border.

She said 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.

According to the statement issued by Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) a day earlier, the Afghan border forces used artillery and mortar in the attack.

Pakistan’s troops at the border gave a befitting albeit measured response against the uncalled-for aggression, but avoided targeting innocent civilians in the area, ISPR stated.

“Pakistani border forces have also approached Afghan authorities in Kabul to highlight the severity of the situation and demanded strict action to avoid any such recurrence of the incident in future,” the statement added.