11 killed as Afghan forces open fire at Chaman border

• Flag meeting held between military commanders, after a hotline contact between DGMOs
• ISPR confirms Afghan authorities were informed in advance about census in border areas

Pakistan on Friday lodged strong protest with the Afghanistan government after the Afghan border forces opened indiscriminate fire on the Frontier Corps soldiers deployed for the security of the census team near the Chaman border, which has resulted in the killing of at least 11 Pakistani citizens and injuries to over 40 people, including women and children.

The Afghan Charge d’Affairs was summoned to the Foreign Office in Islamabad to lodge strong protest over the unprovoked firing by the Afghan forces in Chaman area. According to a Foreign Office statement, the Afghan diplomat was conveyed that Pakistani authorities were undertaking the population census and this information had been shared with the Afghan government earlier.

The unprovoked firing from the Afghan side, not only led to the loss of precious lives and injured many, but has also disrupted the census in areas on the Pakistan side of the border and caused damage to properties. “We urge the Afghan government to take immediate steps to bring an end to the unprovoked firing from the Afghan side. Action should also be taken against those who are responsible for this violation,” the statement said.

Earlier, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) statement the confirmed cross-border firing and shelling. Deputy Commissioner Qaiser Khan said that all schools in the locale had been closed for an indefinite period. He advised residents to avoid going to the rooftops of their houses, following the incident. According to the ISPR, the exchange of fire between the two sides has now come to a stop.

The unprovoked firing by Afghan forces, with both light and heavy arms, began at 4AM, security officials said earlier. At the time, the Pakistani security forces effectively responded to the firing and shelling from the Afghan side. Large contingents of FC and Levies reached the area as soon as the vicinity came under heavy fire from across the border.

The Pakistan Army’s media wing said the Afghan border police have been creating hurdles since April 30 in the conduct of census in the divided villages of Killi Luqman and Killi Jahangir in Charnan area on Pakistani side of the border. “This was done despite the fact that Afghan authorities had been informed well in advance and coordination was carried out through diplomatic and military channels for conduct of census,” the ISPR said.

Chaman shares a border with the Afghan province of Kandahar and is home to a busy international border crossing between the two countries. The Chaman border crossing was closed following the incident. According to the ISPR, a hotline contact between Pakistan and Afghan Director General Military Operations was established later in the day.

During the conversation, Director General Military Operations (DGMO) of Pakistan Army Major General Sahir Shamshad Mirza condemned unprovoked firing on Pakistani villagers and security forces which caused casualties. He told his Afghan counterpart that the villages were divided i.e. situated on both the sides, but Pakistani forces and civilians were present on their own side of the border.

Maj General Mirza asked Afghan DGMO to keep its forces on its side of the border and defuse the situation. He said that the Pakistan Army would continue work on its side of the border. The Afghan Director General of Military Operations acknowledged that the border lies in between the villages. He agreed to take up the matter and issue necessary orders accordingly.

The ISPR said that a local commanders’ level border flag meeting took place, following the hotline contact. During the weekly media briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria voiced concerns over the firing by the Afghan forces at Chaman border, saying Pakistan has serious concerns over the incident. He said that Pakistan has the right to retaliate. A negative role by India was creating issues in Afghanistan, he pointed out.

After the firing, the injured were taken to the district hospital, where two critically injured persons were referred to Quetta, where emergency has been imposed at hospitals. The doctors and paramedics at the Bolan Medical Complex have been alerted, while additional staff was called for the Quetta Civil Hospital.

Moreover, the important routes in the areas have been closed, while the vehicles coming from the side of Quetta were stopped, the security officials said. The Quetta-Chaman road was blocked by the security forces at various locations following the incident. Even the 3G and 4G services were suspended in the area. Also, the gate between Pakistan and Afghanistan on the Chaman border was closed following incident.

“We were sleeping when we suddenly heard firing and blasts,” said Haji Ayub, a Pakistani villager from Killi Jahangir. “We immediately left our houses and came to Chaman bazaar,” he said. Abdul Mateen, a resident of Killi Luqman, said that the FC personnel were guarding the census staff in his village when the Afghan forces opened fire on them. “I lost a close relative in the attack,” he said.

In a statement, Kandahar governor’s spokesman Samim Khpalwak claimed that one Afghan civilian and three border police forces personnel were also wounded in the exchange of fire. The latest violence at the Pak-Afghan border has come days after visits of two high-profile Pakistani delegations to Afghanistan aimed at easing the tensions between the neighbouring states.