Amid heightened tension over frequent ‘unprovoked firing’ incidents, Pakistan on Tuesday summoned the Afghan Charge d’Affaires, warning Kabul that it would be held responsible for “any further escalation”.
Pakistan summoned the senior diplomat to protest what it described as “unprovoked firing” by Afghan border forces at a Pakistani check post, the second such incident within a week.
The Afghan Charge d’Affaires was “summoned to the Foreign Office on Tuesday for conveying the protest of the Government of Pakistan on repetition of an unprovoked firing incident that took place on May 6, 2013 at 0845 hours from the Afghan posts on the Pakistani Gursal post”, said a statement from the Foreign Office spokesman.
The Afghan diplomat was told that his Government would be responsible for “any further escalation”, the statement said. Five soldiers of Pakistan’s Frontier Constabulary were injured in the incident of firing yesterday, the statement said.
“As in the past, Pakistan security forces exercised maximum restraint and communicated first to the Afghan side about repetition of this serious violation through military channels,” it said. PTI