Restive borders: Rocket fire provokes Afghans, says Kabul
The Afghan ambassador in Islamabad on Thursday told Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar that Pakistan’s rocket attacks have provoked and enraged Afghans and such attacks should immediately be stopped.
Afghan Ambassador Omar Daudzai met Foreign Minister Khar on Thursday and conveyed the Afghan government’s “serious concerns” over the issue of cross-border shelling, Afghan Embassy Spokesman Shams Zardasht told The Express Tribune.
The Afghan embassy also issued a statement which quoted the ambassador as telling Khar that Pakistan launched rocket shelling immediately after Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf concluded his visit to Afghanistan on July 19.
“Pakistani rocket firing continued for days. These rocket attacks have offended and enraged many Afghans,” Ambassador Daudzai warned.
He revealed that the Afghan Senate and National Assembly also strongly condemned these attacks and urged Afghan President Hamid Karzai to launch serious investigations to probe such incidents.
The embassy spokesman told The Express Tribune that Ambassador Daudzai made it clear that rocket attacks are a matter of serious concern for the Afghan government which continues to “provoke sentiments of the Afghan people”.
“The ambassador called for an immediate end to such attacks and said that urgent steps must be taken to stop them in future too,” he said.
The Afghan embassy quoted Foreign Minister Khar as saying that “the attacks should immediately be stopped wherever they take place”. She added that the Pakistani government was committed to taking serious steps to ensure that such incidents do not happen.
The foreign minister and Afghan ambassador also discussed Afghan High Peace Council chief Salahuddin Rabbani’s upcoming visit to Islamabad and both agreed on the schedule of the trip.
They described Prime Minister Ashraf’s visit to Kabul as successful which enabled top leaders of both countries to discuss some important matters, the embassy said.
The Foreign Office stated that Foreign Minister Khar and the Afghan ambassador discussed bilateral matters and other issues of mutual interest, including the follow-up of Prime Minister Ashraf’s recent visit to Kabul.
“They also exchanged views with regard to the status of the Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace and reconciliation process,” a Foreign Office statement said. It was revealed that Khar reassured the Afghan ambassador of “Pakistan’s full support to the efforts aimed at bringing peace and stability in Afghanistan”.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 27th, 2012.
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To my knowledge not a single bad guy has ever been killed by Pakistan rocket/artillery attacks -- but you have killed villagers, destroyed houses, and created more refugees. Firing inaccurate long distance weapons across the border is the height of stupidity.
Pakistani government was committed to taking serious steps to ensure that such incidents do not happen.
Yes, Sure ! Where have we heard this before? May they be State or Non State Players. Its high time that Pakistan start to act and contain their cockroches within their borders and haul them in, otherwise rest assure Pakistan is going to face bigger problem from them in next few years ! It is obvious to the rest of the world, that Pakistan's policies in relation to these assets has not worked and will never work ! So why continue on the path of self destruction ?