ISLAMABAD: Pakistan yesterday protested to Afghanistan after five Frontier Constabulary soldiers were injured on Monday by firing from Afghan posts and President Karzai tried to resurrect the dead issue of Durand Line and sought Taliban help to pressurise Pakistan.
While Pakistan has so far shown restraint, yesterday it expressed “serious concern”.
In a veiled threat, Islamabad clearly told Kabul not to test its patience.
“In case of any further escalation as a result of this situation, the responsibility would be on the Afghan government,” Pakistan said.
As events have shown, even the recent trilateral meeting in Brussels with the Americans was a complete failure as far as bilateral ties with Kabul are concerned.
These past few days there has been firing from across the border at Pakistan, with senior diplomats being summoned to each other’s foreign ministries.
Pakistan has denied that its soldiers have fired at the Afghan forces.
On Monday Pakistan’s charge d’affaires was summoned by the Afghan Foreign Ministry.
Yesterday saw the Afghan charge d’affaires, summoned by the Foreign Office here where a protest was lodged on repetition of an unprovoked firing incident that took place on Monday at 8.45am from the Afghan posts on the Pakistani Gursal post.
“As a result of this unprovoked firing incident, five Frontier Constabulary (FC) soldiers got injured. As in the past, Pakistan security forces exercised maximum restraint and communicated first to the Afghan side about repetition of this serious violation through military channels”, spokesman at the Foreign Office said in a statement.
He had earlier pointed out that these posts on Pakistan-Afghanistan border are serving the useful and mutually beneficial purpose of better border management, which is crucial for interdicting cross border undesirable activity.
Pakistan’s Ambassador in Kabul Muhammad Sadiq clarified in a press meeting on Monday that Kabul was wrong in claiming ownership over check posts which Pakistan had constructed in 2002, which had often been visited by Nato forces.
Internews
