Diplomatic spat: Afghans protest border shelling

Kabul says rocket attacks hurt prospects of better trust and cooperation between the two countries.

KABUL:

Around 200 Afghans joined a protest on the streets of Kabul on Saturday against what Afghanistan says are “Pakistani rocket attacks” which have left dozens of people dead.

The protesters carried banners with slogans such as: “We condemn the invasion on our soil” and slamming Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency (ISI).

The demonstration broke up peacefully after a couple of hours, an AFP reporter at the scene said.

Separately, the border police commander of eastern Afghanistan, General Aminullah Amarkhail, confirmed he submitted his resignation on Thursday over the attacks.

A diplomatic spat has flared in recent days amid accusations over the rocket attacks which the Afghan government says could damage “improving trust and cooperation” between the two.

Earlier this week, Afghan President Hamid Karzai met Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Kayani in Kabul to demand an end to rocket attacks.

Western and Afghan officials see assistance from Pakistan as crucial to efforts to open up a communication channel with the Taliban amid early stage contacts over peace talks in the near 10-year war in Afghanistan.

Pakistan says its security forces may have fired a few “accidental” rounds into Afghanistan while pursuing militants. It also claims that insurgents from Afghanistan have crossed the border to attack security checkpoints.

Amarkhail accused the Afghan government of keeping silent over what he called the “Pakistan invasion” of Afghanistan.

He told AFP he had presented his resignation to the Afghan interior ministry and was waiting for them to accept it and appoint his successor.









Published in The Express Tribune, July 3^rd, 2011.