Afghan ambassador dashes to Kabul amid tensions with Pakistan
Afghan officials claim Pakistani forces fired rockets into the border areas of eastern Kunar province.
Afghan Ambassador to Pakistan Omar Daudzai. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
ISLAMABAD:
As tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated over border issues, the Afghan ambassador in Islamabad flew to Kabul to lessen the diplomatic strain, The Express Tribune learnt Tuesday.
Ambassador Umer Daudzai rushed to Kabul to talk to the country’s senior officials, who have unleashed harsh criticism targeting Islamabad, following accusations against Pakistani forces of firing rockets into the border areas of eastern Kunar province, diplomatic and official sources said.
Daudzai, a close confidant of President Hamid Karzai, also met Pakistani foreign ministry officials before he flew to Kabul. He also met Pakistan ambassador to Afghanistan, Muhammad Sadiq, who was in Islamabad during the weekend.
“Both the ambassadors went to Kabul in the same plane,” a diplomatic source told The Express Tribune.
“Diplomats of the two countries are concerned about the current tensions and are trying to reduce them,” he said.
After tensions escalated following alleged Pakistani shelling, the Afghan government on Monday raised another issue of what they called "Pakistani military’s unilateral construction and physical reinforcement activities" along the border in the eastern Ningarhar province.
Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister, Javed Ludin, raised the issue with Pakistani ambassador in Kabul and conveyed his government's grave concerns, the Afghan Foreign Ministry statement said.
Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, denied Kabul’s claim of heavy cross-border shelling and insisted that “there was no artillery shelling from Pakistani side. They were very modest in responding to some intrusion from the Afghan side. Our troops responded, but they did so in a disciplined and responsible manner.”
Afghanistan was not impressed by Pakistan’s response and in an angry reaction, cancelled visit of Afghan military officials for joint exercises. Islamabad had termed the decision as an over-reaction.
The Express Tribune has learnt that Pakistan has started construction of a gate well inside its territory along the border with Afghanistan and there had neither been any military activity nor any intrusion into Afghan soil.
An Afghan source in Ningarhar province said – via telephone - that Pakistan has laid foundation for the gate near Zero Point, some 35 kilometers away from Afghan border posts.
“Pakistani forces had not moved towards Afghani area and had been working on the construction in their own border area,” an Afghan journalist, who visited the border areas, told The Express Tribune. He requested not to be identified.
The journalist was of the view that the Afghan border force had shown concerns as they were expecting Pakistan would inform them about the construction along the border beforehand.
Afghan sources said that local border officials of the two countries have also established contacts to avoid any misunderstanding.
As tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan escalated over border issues, the Afghan ambassador in Islamabad flew to Kabul to lessen the diplomatic strain, The Express Tribune learnt Tuesday.
Ambassador Umer Daudzai rushed to Kabul to talk to the country’s senior officials, who have unleashed harsh criticism targeting Islamabad, following accusations against Pakistani forces of firing rockets into the border areas of eastern Kunar province, diplomatic and official sources said.
Daudzai, a close confidant of President Hamid Karzai, also met Pakistani foreign ministry officials before he flew to Kabul. He also met Pakistan ambassador to Afghanistan, Muhammad Sadiq, who was in Islamabad during the weekend.
“Both the ambassadors went to Kabul in the same plane,” a diplomatic source told The Express Tribune.
“Diplomats of the two countries are concerned about the current tensions and are trying to reduce them,” he said.
After tensions escalated following alleged Pakistani shelling, the Afghan government on Monday raised another issue of what they called "Pakistani military’s unilateral construction and physical reinforcement activities" along the border in the eastern Ningarhar province.
Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister, Javed Ludin, raised the issue with Pakistani ambassador in Kabul and conveyed his government's grave concerns, the Afghan Foreign Ministry statement said.
Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesman, Aizaz Ahmad Chaudhry, denied Kabul’s claim of heavy cross-border shelling and insisted that “there was no artillery shelling from Pakistani side. They were very modest in responding to some intrusion from the Afghan side. Our troops responded, but they did so in a disciplined and responsible manner.”
Afghanistan was not impressed by Pakistan’s response and in an angry reaction, cancelled visit of Afghan military officials for joint exercises. Islamabad had termed the decision as an over-reaction.
The Express Tribune has learnt that Pakistan has started construction of a gate well inside its territory along the border with Afghanistan and there had neither been any military activity nor any intrusion into Afghan soil.
An Afghan source in Ningarhar province said – via telephone - that Pakistan has laid foundation for the gate near Zero Point, some 35 kilometers away from Afghan border posts.
“Pakistani forces had not moved towards Afghani area and had been working on the construction in their own border area,” an Afghan journalist, who visited the border areas, told The Express Tribune. He requested not to be identified.
The journalist was of the view that the Afghan border force had shown concerns as they were expecting Pakistan would inform them about the construction along the border beforehand.
Afghan sources said that local border officials of the two countries have also established contacts to avoid any misunderstanding.