06 May 2017•Update: 07 May 2017
By Aamir Latif and Shadi Khan Saif
KARACHI, Pakistan/KABUL, Afghanistan
Pakistan has said that some 2,000 families have been affected by Friday’s clash between Pakistani and Afghan border forces, which killed 12 people.
"Unprovoked firing and shelling by Afghan border forces have affected 2,000 families living near Pak-Afghan border," Mohammad Tariq, head of provincial disaster management authority, told a press conference in Quetta, the capital of southwestern Balochistan province, which borders Iran and Afghanistan.
Residents of several villages located near the border, he said, had also been asked to evacuate amid mounting tensions on the western borders between Kabul and Islamabad.
Twelve people, including two para military troops were killed and over 40 injured when Afghan border police reportedly targeted Pakistan army troops providing security to population census staff in Chaman district near Pak-Afghan border.
Kabul, for its part, accuses Pakistani troops of initiating the firing.
Meanwhile, thousands of Afghans gathered in the southern Kandahar and eastern Nangarhar province Saturday close to the main crossing points with Pakistan to protest against Pakistan’s cross-border shelling and alleged violation of Afghanistan’s territorial sovereignty.
Dr. Farooq Azam, senior politician, while addressing the rally in Kandahar blamed Pakistan for promoting hatred among the Pashtune tribes living on both sides of the Durand Line. In Nangarhar, tribal elder Haji Khalil addressed a public gathering in the border town of Torkham, and urged Islamabad not to hinder the free movement of the civilians who share brotherly ties and ethnic lineages across the Durand Line.
Afghan officials claim following the Friday’s clashes in Spin Boldak, the Pakistani border guards have reverted to unprovoked and indiscriminate shelling on eastern Nangarhar province. Attaullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial government, has said one civilian has died and two more were injured due to the shelling.
The clash- one of the deadliest in terms of casualties in recent past- has led to closure of Chaman crossing for an indefinite period. Long queues of vehicles were seen on both sides of the border as the key crossing remained closed for the second consecutive day on Saturday. Pakistan and Afghanistan share 18 crossing points -- the most commonly used ones are northwestern Torkham and southwestern Chaman.
Afghanistan does not recognize the Durand Line which was established in 1893 in line with an agreement between India under British colonial rule, and Abdur Rahman Khan -- the then ruler of Afghanistan.
