ISPR denial: Pakistan did not fire rockets into Afghanistan

ISPR denies Afghan president Karzai's statement that Pakistan had fired rockets into its territory.


June 27, 2011

KABUL:


The Pakistan army denied on Monday that it fired hundreds of rockets into two eastern Afghan provinces over the past three weeks, Express 24/7 reported.

Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said that no rounds have been intentionally fired into Afghanistan.

He said it is possible that a few rounds may have accidentally fallen into Afghanistan when security forces targeted militants carrying out cross-border attacks into Pakistan.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai said on Sunday that hundreds of rockets landed on Afghan soil from Pakistan.

The Pakistani spokesman claimed today that there have been five major attacks on border posts in the last month by groups of up to 300 militants who crossed into the country from Afghanistan. He said 55 paramilitary soldiers and tribal police have been killed in the attacks and 80 others injured.

Updated from print edition (below)

Pakistan firing rockets into Afghanistan: Karzai

Afghan President Hamid Karzai on Sunday accused Pakistan of firing 470 rockets into the country’s two eastern provinces over the past three weeks, which Afghan officials said killed 36 people, including 12 children, an Associated Press report said.


The attacks came in Kunar and Nangrahar provinces where Nato forces have withdrawn and where “Pakistani Taliban” moved in behind fleeing civilians, AP quoted Afghan border officials as saying.

Karzai said he discussed the rocket barrage with Pakistani President Asif Ali Zadari during an anti-terrorism conference in Tehran on Saturday, the same day the Afghan defence ministry spokesman warned that Afghanistan would “defend itself”.

Afghan security officials said joint Nato and Afghan border units have fired back into Pakistan, but Nato and Pakistan military officials denied any knowledge of border skirmishes.

“The government of Pakistan should understand that there will be a reaction for killing Afghan citizens,” the report quoted Afghan government spokesperson Mohammad Zahir Azimi as saying.

The Afghan president said he also had discussed the border attack with US Army Gen David H Petraeus, the Nato commander in Afghanistan, and US Ambassador Karl Eikenberry during his regular national security council meeting on Sunday.

Azimi said the Afghan defence ministry “asks the president of Pakistan to stop the artillery firing and compensate the losses caused.”

Afghan border police spokesman Edris Mohmand, who reported 36 Afghans killed by the rockets, including 12 children, said 2,000 families have fled districts threatened by the barrage, including Asmar and Nangalam in Kunar, and Goshta districts in Nangrahar.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 27th, 2011.

COMMENTS (53)

Tajik Afghan | 12 years ago | Reply

Pakistan, you are making the biggest mistakes of your life............ You know that Karzai is the only cause for all what is happening in Afghanistan. This story will end and you will be sorry ....

buttjee | 12 years ago | Reply @ Mark Mark my friend, you have no right to ridicule some ones religious belief. This is how people like you spread religious hater-ad and force the simple peaceful people to become extremists. As for as Americas war on terror is concerned, it was started by US in the aftermath of 9/11. Neither any Pakistani was involved in 9/11 nor any resources from Pakistan had been used. All the perpetrators of 9/11 had been living in US for a long time and had been trained in US by various flying clubs. Principally, the US should have hanged its own people responsible for intelligence failure, for training and cooperating with the perpetrators and additionally should have adopted measures to strengthen its own inland security. But instead it decided to invade the sovereign state of Afghanistan against all principles of interstate relations and peaceful co-existence. At that time Pakistan had no issue with the Taliban Government in Afghanistan. There was no terrorism, no drug trade and street crimes were negligible. Pak-Afghan borders were the most peaceful borders in the world. Under the peaceful environment prevailing in the region, Pakistan’s economy had no serious threat which could have triggered the economic down turn. Then came the US invasion of Afghanistan. Under intense US pressure, Pakistan abandoned the Taliban Regime and decided to support US in its so called war on terror. Pakistan provided its air bases, logistic life line for US and NATO forces, extensive intelligence information and rest / marshalling areas for the US forces. You would understand it better than me that it would not have been possible for US to invade Afghanistan without such comprehensive and wide ranging support from Pakistan. Pakistan’s very sincere and whole hearted support was reciprocated by US by pushing a large number of Taliban and Al-Qaeda operatives into Pakistan. That is how the war has been imposed on Pakistan. As of today Pakistan has deployed more than .15 million troops in support of US operations in Afghanistan. Pakistan had arrested and handed over to US more than 500 hundred Al-Qaeda and Taliban leaders, including Khalid Sheikh Muhammad the master mind of 9/11. While supporting US war on terror, Pakistan has lost more than 35000 innocent civilians, over 3500 troops of law enforcement agencies and its economy has suffered a colossal loss of over $ 68 billion. All these years, US has been violating Pakistan’s sovereignty in spite of wide spread public outrage in Pakistan. Pakistan has been the most trusted US ally in this war. After suffering so much and after offering enormous sacrifices for almost 30 years what Pakistan wanted to gain was a stable and peaceful region and a friendly Government in Afghanistan. Pakistan has been persuading US to help Pakistan in attaining these two goals which are very important for its stability. But unfortunately US has been ignoring Pakistan’s requests. The basic irritant between US and Pakistan is the US plans to oblige India with their extended presence in Afghanistan at the cost of Pakistan’s vital national security interests. For the last ten years US has been claiming to have long term strategic partnership with Pakistan but there is nothing strategic in this relationship. All strategic benefits including the declaration of nuclear power status have been given to India which has played no role in Afghan wars of 1980s or the ongoing war on terror. The entire world knows that the problems of law and order, terrorism and economic down turn which Pakistan is facing today are the creation of US war on terror but the US leadership tells us that they cannot solve Pakistan’s problems. Of late it has dawned on the people of Pakistan that their strategic partner, a Super Power cannot solve their problems which are its own creation because it does not want to do that. Keeping the long history of US deceptions and betrayals and a total disregard to its sovereignty, Pakistan, forcibly, has to think about ways and means to protect its own national interests. Pakistan is still providing the life line to the US and NATO forces without creating any hindrance. It is a malicious assumption that Pakistan is supporting any faction of Taliban. There are no favourites and there are no good or bad Talibans. Pakistan will still fight the terrorists but according to its own priorities. Pakistan will not involve itself in fighting all the factions of Taliban simultaneously unless the capabilities of its Army, Air Force and Intelligence is enhanced substantially. This is the point at which we are stuck up with US. If US wants Pakistan’s support for its war in Afghanistan then it has to forget about using threatening rhetoric, US should provide requisite technology, address Pakistan’s serious national security concerns on priority and translate the existing relationship into a truly strategic relationship. I assure you that the trust deficit will vanish in no time and US – Pakistan relationship will be more than satisfactory for both the parties.
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