Daily Times

Child among two dead in Afghan soldier’s ‘unprovoked’ firing at Chaman border

An Afghan sentry employed at the friendship gate of the Chaman border crossing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Balochistan opened unprovoked and indiscriminate firing at pedestrians moving from Pakistan to Afghanistan, the military said in a statement on Wednesday.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the incident occurred at the outbound gate located on the zero line. “Resultantly, two innocent Pakistani citizens including a 12-year-old child embraced shahadat (martyrdom), while another child was injured,” the statement added.

It said that Pakistani troops exercised extreme restraint and avoided any exchange of fire in the presence of innocent passengers to avoid collateral damage.

“Dead bodies of the deceased have been shifted to DHQ Hospital Chaman and the injured child, who was immediately evacuated by security forces, is under treatment,” the ISPR said.

In response, Pakistani troops exercised extreme restraint and avoided any exchange of fire in the presence of innocent passengers to avoid collateral damage, the ISPR statement said.

The military’s media wing said that the Afghan authorities have been approached to inquire about the reason for such an irresponsible and reckless act. They have been urged to apprehend and hand over the culprit to Pakistani authorities, it added.

The Interim Afghan government, the ISPR, said is also expected to exercise control over its troops and impart discipline to act responsibly in order to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future.

The media arm of Pakistan Army further said that Pakistan remains committed to contributing towards peace, prosperity and development through positive and constructive bilateral relations. However, it cautioned that such unpleasant occurrences have the potential to harm the sincere intent and purpose.

The Chaman border crossing is a major transit point for truckers moving fruit exports from around the Afghan city of Kandahar. It is also used by thousands on daily basis, some of them seeking medical treatment in Pakistan.

Clashes on the border have occurred for years, during the two-decade rule of Afghanistan’s US-backed government and since the Taliban took over Afghanistan in 2021.

Hundreds of people were stranded in February when a clash between security forces of Pakistan and Afghanistan left three people dead. However, the crossing was later opened following negotiations between authorities of the two countries.