PAKISTAN has always shown goodwill towards Afghanistan.
It is however unfortunate that the other side has never reciprocated in the same manner rather whilst playing in the hands of our arch-enemy India, it has also started spraying bullets towards the neighbour which has always cared for it.
In the despicable incident on Tuesday, the Afghan forces targeted the civilian population in Chitral’s Arundu village with mortars and heavy machine fire from Nari district in the Kunar province. Pakistani troops responded effectively and targeted the Afghan border posts in Kandi and Dilbar from where the fire was initiated. The exchange of fire, however, resulted in the injuries of six soldiers of Pakistan Army and five civilians. Our soldiers and civilians are already the victim of the cross-border terrorist attacks but the unprovoked firing from the Afghan forces is a serious violation and the matter should be taken up with Afghanistan at the highest level. This incident cannot be called mere a coincidence as it has come at a time when Indian troops have also engaged our troops on the Line of Control (Loc). This shows the nexus of the two countries against Pakistan. The regrettable part of the story is that Afghanistan is doing this to Pakistan regardless of the fact that the country has always shown openheartedness to the Afghan people. We are still hosting millions of Afghan refugees at the cost of national economy. The transit trade agreement with Afghanistan is also hurting our economy as it has led to increase in smuggling inside Pakistan. Then, everybody knows what has been the role of Pakistan to facilitate the Afghan reconciliation process. Despite all this, the Afghan hostility towards Pakistan is not understandable. For regional peace and stability, it will be better for Afghanistan to stop playing in the hands of extremist Modi government. Rather it will be better for the Afghan security forces to focus on the internal security situation. Afghanistan must also be conveyed in categorical terms to keep the border peaceful otherwise any hostility will evoke a strong response from Pakistan which they will never be able to withstand.
