–On March 10, tribesmen were taken out of their homes and murdered in Paktika province
–Wazir tribe elders and local political representatives hold press conference in Wana, demand justice
–Foreign office spokesperson condemns killing in tweet amid no response from govt officials
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Mohammad Faisal on Tuesday condemned the murder of eight Pakistani Wazir tribesmen by the Afghan security forces in Paktika province, near Pakistan-Afghan border.
In a tweet, Dr. Mohammad Faisal said: “Pakistan condemns the killing of eight innocent Pakistani tribesmen, in Paktika, Afghanistan, by Afgan security forces.”
On 10 March, eight people were taken out of their homes, brutally beaten and then shot dead near the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Berman district of Paktika province.
The news of brutal killing of eight innocent Pakistani tribesmen, including four brothers, by Afghan special security forces triggered a shock wave among the tribal people living within bordering areas of Afghanistan.
Although the foreign office has tweeted its condemnation, as of yet, no representative of the Pakistani government has talked to the Afgan government about the tragedy or the underlying issue.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday in Wana, headquarter of South Waziristan tribal district, the tribal elders vehemently criticised the incident, demanding Pakistan took up the issue with the Afghanistan government at all forums.
“If the government failed to do, the Wazir tribesmen would do so themselves,” they warned.
“We demand that the prime minister, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, and the foreign minister seek a clarification from the ‘puppet Afghan regime and their overlords regarding the tragic incident,” said an elder from the Kabalkhel tribe of North Waziristan.
“Afghan security forces commit such crimes frequently and with impunity; this is becoming intolerable,” he said.
Political representatives such as Malik Reez Muhammad, Malik Nizzamud Din, former MNA candidate Hafiz-ul-Amin and others have also collectively condemned the incident and asked the government for help.
They expressed that the incident was a breach of international human rights and that the government should take the matter up to the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC), who should probe this act of state barbarism and highlight the culprit.
Around one million families were forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in nearby Afghanistan— out of which, almost 5,000 families have been brought back to the country.
According to a report by a local media outlet, the Afghan government is making it hard for Pakistanis, who took refuge in Paktia and Paktika provinces of Afghanistan, to return to Waziristan.
According to a February 2018 report, around 100 North Waziristan families are stranded at the Ghulam Khan check-post at the Pak-Afghan border. These families took refuge in Afghanistan as the army launched operation Zarb-e-Azb against militants in June 2014.