The Afghan government has expressed its “regret” for the Chaman incident.
The Afghan government has apologized and stated that similar instances will not occur again, according to the Minister of Defense.
ISLAMABAD: Defence Minister Khawaja Asif reported on Monday that the interim Afghan administration has sent a letter of apology to Pakistan, signalling the apparent success of covert attempts to ease tensions brought on by bloody border fighting in Chaman on Sunday.
Chaman was subjected to “unprovoked and indiscriminate” heavy gunfire and artillery shelling by the Afghan Border Force, resulting in at least seven fatalities and 17 wounded.
On the floor of the lower house of parliament, the defence minister declared that Pakistan and Afghanistan had resolved the issue.
“The incitement at Chaman was from the Afghan side,” Asif claimed. A section of the fence was destroyed; our workers were fixing it; they rammed the fence with a jeep; and they asserted that the border security committee should have been informed of the repair work.
“They started firing as the situation got out of hand. No one was hurt in the opening exchange of fire. But afterwards, when they employed heavier weapons, two of our civilians died en route to Quetta, and five of our civilians were martyred.
Asif claimed that in retaliation, Pakistan opened fire on the Afghan post, killing eight to nine Afghan soldiers.
The border security committee reconvened soon after, at which point it was decided that Afghanistan was to blame. “We feel there was no ulterior motivation, and there is no proof of any preparation behind the attack,” the committee continued.
The minister disclosed that the Afghan government has acknowledged its error and made a commitment to prevent similar occurrences in the future.
“But speaker sahab, one thing is clear: Afghanistan’s relations with Pakistan mirror its own predicament.”
The firing in Chaman district was sharply denounced earlier in the day by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who also urged the Afghan authorities to prevent future occurrences of this kind.
The premier stated in a tweet that the unprovoked shelling and fire by the Afghan Border Force in Chaman, which caused several Pakistani people to lose their lives and injured more than a dozen others, is regrettable and deserves the harshest condemnation.
“The interim Afghan administration should make sure that situations like these don’t happen again.”
Many people were puzzled as to why Pakistan did not summon the Taliban representative despite the fact that Afghan soldiers had killed civilians. Despite the seriousness of the situation, the Foreign Office responded with a measured condemnation of the occurrence.
According to official sources who spoke to The Express Tribune, Pakistan was circumspect and adopted a more measured public posture in order to prevent the escalation of hostilities.
According to the sources, Pakistani decision-makers believe that, despite numerous instances in recent weeks and months, it is in their nation’s best interest to engage the Afghan Taliban in conversation and try to find a solution.
There have been complaints, though, that Pakistan should have handled the situation more firmly. Some people think it was absurd to avoid calling the Taliban representative from Afghanistan. Some analysts believe a clear message should have been delivered to the Afghan Taliban provisional government.
But according to the official sources, albeit through diplomatic channels, the government did send the Taliban government a clear warning.
“By making public declarations, we don’t want to poison the atmosphere. This won’t help us achieve our goals, according to a representative with knowledge of the situation.
The official clarified that this did not imply Pakistan had not pressed the matter with the Afghan government.
Pakistan denounced the attack in a statement following the incident, saying such sad occurrences were not in line with “the brotherly ties” between the two countries.
The statement said, “The Afghan authorities have been reminded that repetition of such instances must be avoided and harshest action must be taken on those [who are] culpable.”
Civilians along the border must continue to be protected by both sides. According to the statement, the relevant authorities from both nations are still in touch to prevent any further escalation of the situation and future occurrences of similar instances.
The Afghan interim government described the occurrence as “tragic” on Monday after working behind the scenes.
“On the Boldak-Chaman crossing point yesterday, a horrible occurrence occurred that resulted in casualties on both sides. It is terrible that these occurrences keep happening, according to Abdul Qahar Balkhi, the Afghan Foreign Ministry’s spokeswoman.
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The IEA, for its part, has taken serious preventive steps, and it also urges the Pakistani government to give serious attention to preventing provocations that result in violence and negatively impact ties between the two countries, he continued.
The Afghan Border Force appears to have attempted to stop the Pakistani government from fixing a portion of the border barrier when fighting broke out. Pakistan has fenced a roughly 2,600km-long border to stop militants from crossing and to ensure better border administration.
Border fencing was opposed by both the Taliban regime and the previous Afghan governments.
Pakistan, though, is adamant that the step is necessary to control border crossings on both sides.
After the Taliban returned to Kabul, Pakistan had hoped that the two countries’ relations would improve, but a string of unfortunate events has dashed those dreams.
Frequent border incidents and the Afghan Taliban’s failure to defeat the TTP, a banned organisation, despite their vows, underline the difficulties both sides have in forging closer connections.
