Afghanistan protests Pakistan's border 'construction, physical reinforcemen

[Major Sam]

Afghanistan protests Pakistan's border 'construction, physical reinforcement'

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan on Monday expressed grave concern about what it claimed the ‘Pakistani military’s unilateral construction and physical reinforcement activities’ along the border in the eastern Ningarhar province, the Afghan Foreign Ministry said.

A formal protest was also lodged amidst growing diplomatic tension between the two uneasy neighbours which also led to the cancellation of Afghan army officers’ planned visit to Pakistan last week.
“Deputy Foreign Minister of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, Jawed Ludin, spoke with the Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan in Afghanistan, Mohammad Sadiq this afternoon,” the Afghan Foreign Ministry said.

“Ludin told Ambassador Sadiq that these activities are against all accepted international norms, provocative and unacceptable to the Afghan government, and that the government of Pakistan must halt them immediately,” an Afghan Foreign Ministry statement said.

The Afghan Foreign Ministry quoted the Afghan border police reports as saying, “these unilateral activities began a while ago along the Durand Line near the villages of Hatam Kalai and Kodzarai in Goshta district”.
Ludin also expressed the Afghan government’s grave concern about alleged Pakistani rocket and artillery attacks in different areas of Kunar province over the past several days, and said the continuation of such attacks could negatively affect existing relations between the two countries.
“Ambassador Sadiq promised to convey all of the Afghan government’s concerns and demands to relevant authorities in Pakistan,” the Afghan Ministry said.
Afghanistan’s protest coincided with Pakistan Army Chief’s call on the top commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan to stop attacks into Pakistan from Afghanistan.
General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani urged General Joseph F Dunford, Commander International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), to ‘help Pakistan check cross-border attacks launched from inside Afghanistan.’
The heightened tension has raised serious concerns over the urgently needed peace process in the war-torn country to avoid any escalations before the 2014 pullout of NATO forces.
Afghan officials claimed that Pakistani forces fired nearly 50 rockets into eastern Afghan province of Kunar on March 25 and 26.
In return, the Afghan Foreign Ministry cancelled a planned trip to Pakistan by Afghan army officers for joint exercises. Pakistan described the decision as ‘overreaction’ to a local issue.

As the tension grew in recent days Aimal Faizi, Afghan President Hamid Karzai’s spokesperson, accused Pakistan of “sabotaging efforts to end the Taliban’s bloody 11- year insurgency.”

Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Javed Ludin also claimed that some Afghan Taliban leaders who signified their intention to join in the peace process were either killed or arrested in Pakistan.
Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry clarified that Pakistani troops merely returned small arms fire at the specific directions from where the militants fired at the Pakistani border posts.

Islamabad has insisted that Pakistani militants, who had fled military offensive in Swat valley in the northwestern tribal belt, have routinely launched attacks on Pakistani posts and villages from Afghan border areas.

The Pakistani military says that at least 100 Pakistani security personnel and civilians have been killed in 20 militant attacks from Afghan side of the border in the past year.

Last month, Afghan forces arrested a senior Pakistani Taliban leader Maulvi Faqir Mohammad in eastern Nangarhar province.


Afghanistan protests Pakistan’s border ‘construction, physical reinforcement’ – The Express Tribune

By Tahir KhanPublished: April 1, 2013

 

[IceCold]

I sincerely hope the next government in Pakistan gives a shut up call to puppet regime and clown Karzai. They have spread way too much venom against Pakistan and have been involved in anti Pakistan activities since day 1 due to the weakness of the pathetic Zadari regime.

 

[Major Sam]

Recent Update:


Afghan ambassador dashes to Kabul amid tensions with Pakistan

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.

Afghan ambassador dashes to Kabul amid tensions with Pakistan – The Express Tribune

Great at last pakistan learnt some thing. Build the wall mined it. No one should be allowed in pakistan without visa.

 

[Devil Soul]

Pak should hav taken these steps way back.....

 

[A.Rafay]

Who cares what they say! Its our border we can build anything there!

 

[RazorMC]

Afghanistan is busy raising the standard of hostility towards us.

Seems there is something bothering them. Something to do with ISAF protection to Kabul...

 

[Secur]

Its inside our border , right ? So , why is Karzai getting his panties in a twist ?

 

[Son of Mountains]

better if they seal durand line permanently.

 

[ExtraOdinary]

interesting, I didnt know the pak-afghan border was disputed

 

[chauvunist]

They can go fck themselves not once not twice but trice but still we dont give a sh!t to what they think or what concerns them...

 

[Son of Mountains]

interesting, I didnt know the pak-afghan border was disputed

damn British policy of partition

 

[M.harris]

let the dogs and bitches bark

 

[Pandora]

Pakistanis shouldn't pay attention to the dogs barking from the other side of border. A dog barks loudest near the time of his death.

 

[KingMamba]

Mine the borders, should have been done long ago.

 

[RazorMC]

Mine the borders, should have been done long ago.

Can't mine it without international repurcussions. There are other, better ways of dealing with this Afghan tantrum.