Afghan politicians denounce Pakistani strikes in Paktika

KABUL (Pajhwok): A number of Afghan politicians have strongly condemned Pakistani forces’ airstrikes in Barmal district of southeastern Paktika province, calling them a violation of Afghanistan’s sovereignty and contrary to all national and international principles.

Ministry of Defence spokesman Inayatullah Khawarazmi told Pajhwok Afghan News Pakistani forces carried out airstrikes in Barmal district on Tuesday evening.

He said civilians, including women and children, mostly Waziristani migrants, were targeted.

“Pakistan must understand such arbitrary, unilateral and aggressive actions will resolve nothing,” he emphasised.

Khawarazmi warned the interim government would not allow the strikes to go unanswered, “Defending the sovereignty of Afghanistan is our legitimate right.”

Ex-president Hamid Karzai vehemently denounced the attack, calling it blatant aggression on Afghan territory and a violation of sovereignty.

“Pakistan’s misguided policies, which have increased extremism in the region and consistently sought to weaken Afghanistan, have strained ties between the two countries,” Karzai said. He urged Islamabad to reconsider its policies.

Former Afghan Ambassador to Islamabad, Abdul Salam Zaeef also condemned the strikes.

He remarked: “Pakistan’s air aggression is a brutal and disgraceful act against Afghanistan’s territory and a violation of all principles. Pakistan’s authoritarian military dictatorship, by targeting innocent Afghans, seeks to divert attention from its political, security, and economic instability and public distrust has grown on them.”

Nazar Mohammad Mutmain, ex-National Olympic Committee chief, wrote: “I condemn this attack on Afghan soil and call this action against all Islamic and traditional values. An appropriate reaction to this action can be expressing anger by Afghan authorities to a visiting delegation from Pakistan and closing its embassy in Kabul because it is not issuing any visas to Afghan nationals.”

This is while a delegation from Pakistan headed by special representative to Afghanistan Mohammad Sadiq Khan met officials of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) and talked about acceleration of joint efforts to address security and political challenges between the two countries.

Foreign minister of the former government Mohammad Hanif Atamr wrote: “Under any pretext, the barbaric strikes of Pakistan are condemnable by all means.”

Ziaulhaq Amarkhil, former minister for Parliamentarian Affairs of the former government wrote: “The strikes by Pakistani air force on southeastern Paktika province are a clear breach of our nation integrity and an action against all national and international laws and agreements. The Afghan nation condemns this action with the hardest terms and call on the government to defend the national integrity and the Afghan nation.”

Fazel Hadi Muslimiar, the head of the senate in the previous government, wrote: “I condemn the attack by bPakistani forces on Barmal district of Paktika province. It is a clear breach and aggression of Pakistan on the soil of Afghanistan, no country has the right to conduct such action against our geography. Such attacks are against all international norms and laws that should not go without a proper response. All victims of these attacks are civilians, women and children.”

Some other Afghan politicians also denounced the attack on social media platforms.

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