Pak summons Afghan envoy to condemn “unprovoked” firing by Taliban forces in Chaman border area

Pakistan on Friday summoned the Afghan charge daffaires here to condemn the recent incidents of unprovoked cross-border shelling by Afghan troops near the southwestern Chaman border crossing that have escalated tensions between Islamabad and Afghanistans Taliban rulers.At least one person was killed and 11 others were wounded on Thursday when Afghan Taliban forces fired mortars toward civilians in the Chaman-Spin Boldak area in the restive Balochistan Province.The latest violence follows a series of deadly incidents and attacks that have strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistans Taliban rulers in recent months.

Pakistan on Friday summoned the Afghan charge d'affaires here to condemn the recent incidents of "unprovoked" cross-border shelling by Afghan troops near the southwestern Chaman border crossing that have escalated tensions between Islamabad and Afghanistan's Taliban rulers.

At least one person was killed and 11 others were wounded on Thursday when Afghan Taliban forces fired mortars toward civilians in the Chaman-Spin Boldak area in the restive Balochistan Province.

The latest violence follows a series of deadly incidents and attacks that have strained relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan's Taliban rulers in recent months. Thursday's violence was the second incident of firing in less than a week after a similar attack on December 10 had killed seven civilians.

"Afghan Charge d'Affaires in Islamabad was called in to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Pakistan's strong condemnation over recent incidents of unprovoked cross-border shelling by Afghan Border Security Forces," the Foreign Office said in a statement.

Pakistan conveyed to the Afghan official that the firing in the Chaman-Spin Boldak area resulted in the loss of life, injuries and damage to property.

"It was reiterated that protection of civilians remained the responsibility of both sides and that recurrence of these incidents must be prevented," the FO said.

The two sides agreed to use the established institutional mechanisms to prevent such incidents in future, it said.

''Pakistan remains committed to maintaining fraternal relations with Afghanistan and peace along the Pak-Afghan border is intrinsic to this end,'' FO said.

Earlier this month, Pakistan's Embassy in Kabul came under gunfire in an attack that was later claimed by the Islamic State group. Pakistani officials at the time had called the incident an attack on its envoy there. Islamabad also has said Afghanistan's rulers are sheltering militants who carry out deadly attacks on its soil.

Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 2,600-km volatile border.

Chaman remains a busy border trading area for Pakistan and Afghanistan and has also been a flashpoint for clashes between border forces on both sides.

The Chaman border crossing, also known as the Friendship Gate, connects Balochistan province to Afghanistan's Kandahar. It was closed last month after an armed Afghan crossed onto Pakistan's side of the border and opened fire on security troops, killing a soldier and injuring another two.

Islamabad has completed almost 90 per cent of fencing work along the border despite protests from Kabul, who contested the century-old British-era boundary demarcation that splits families on either side.

Successive regimes in Afghanistan, including the US-backed governments in the past, have disputed the border and this has historically remained a contentious issue between the two neighbours.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)