Cross-border skirmish: Try Afghan soldiers under international law, says Turi

Issue being resolved through jirga, says lawmaker

KURRAM AGENCY: Days after Afghan and Pakistani forces skirmished along the international border, MNA Sajid Hussain Turi called for Afghan soldiers involved in the incident to be punished under international law.

During a joint press conference with tribal leaders, the lawmaker said the skirmish along Laka Teega check-post in Lower Kurram Agency was being resolved through a jirga and stressed on the need for fencing of the international border to control and check the flow of terrorists crossing over.



Expressing dismay at the lives lost in the incident, Turi said any force challenging the writ of the state or eyeing Pakistan with malicious intent will not be tolerated as the tribes of the region stand united.

Referring to the recently passed bill extending the jurisdiction of the apex court and the provincial high court to FATA, the lawmaker said that after a long struggle, the tribesmen will now be able to approach the court for justice. He further added that thousands of residents of FATA working in foreign countries will be eligible to vote as and when overseas Pakistanis are allowed to do so.



Turi claimed that ‘record-breaking’ development work had taken place during the last decade in Kurram Agency – he said issues pertaining to electricity and water were curbed to a major extent after spending millions. He also added that the establishment of a NADRA office in Ali Zai had been approved while registrations for Benazir Income Support Programme shall commence soon. Turi said the Sada-e-Aman programme has also been launched in Parachinar.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) had said earlier that at least two Frontier Corps (FC) personnel were martyred and 12 injured in a cross-border skirmish along the Pak-Afghan border late on Saturday night.

Originating from Afghanistan’s Khost province, the attack targeted FC troops conducting routine surveillance near the Laka Teega check-post in Lower Kurram Agency.