Some Afghan politicians have slammed Pakistani airstrikes in Khost and Paktika provinces as violation of international rules and hailed retaliation from Afghanistan, saying the Aghan nation cannot tolerate such actions.
Taliban chief spokesman Zabihullah Mujahi had confirmed Pakistani jets bombed the houses of ordinary people in Paktika’s Barmal district and Khost’s Spera district, killing eight civilians including women and children.
In reprisal, the Ministry of Defence said Afghan border forces targeted Pakistani military centres using heavy weapons along the Durand Line.
The caretaker government warned the deadly airstrikes will have consequences that the neighbour will be unable to control.
The Pakistani side claimed they targeted Abdullah Shah, a leader of the Tahreek Taliban Pakistan (TTP). But Abdullah Shah in a video clip said he was alive and was currently in Waziristan.
Reactions to Pakistani bombardment
Former President Hamid Karzai denounced the Pakistani airstrikes and called them violation of international rules.
He said: “Such actions from Pakistan can harm relations between the two countries. A change in Islamabad’s policy can maintain civilised relations with Afghanistan on the basis of good neighborly ties in the interest of both countries and also can be the factor in maintaining peace and stability in the region.”
Former Afghan ambassador to Islamabad Abdul Salam Zayeef in a post on his X page urged all Afghans to get united against any aggression.
He wrote: “Punjab’s intrusion into the territory of our beloved country and the bombing of Afghans in Khost and Paktika was aimed to cover their weakness and internal problems. May Allah grant paradise to the victims of these brutal attacks and speedy recovery to the injured.”
Acting Permanent Representative of Afghanistan to the United Nations, Nasir Ahmad Faiq vehemently denounced the recent attacks by Pakistan as “unacceptable and justifiable.”
He added that carrying out such attacks on Afghan soil under any pretext was a clear violation of international laws and the territorial integrity of Afghanistan.
Abdul Karim Khuram, head of Hamid Karzai’s office, wrote: “By bombing and killing civilians in Khost and Paktika, Islamabad has committed a crime and violated international principles.”
Zia-ul-Haq Amerkhel, head of the National Stability Association of Afghanistan, also called Pakistan’s attacks an obvious aggression and violation.
According to him, if history is any guide, anyone who invaded this land received a tit-for-tat response both from the government and the people.
He said: “Pakistan should understand that we are one nation and we set aside our differences when it comes to the defense of our homeland.”
Amarkhel added: “The so-called republic of Pakistan should create its own peace in its homeland. Pakistan wants to hide its failures with cowardly statements and attacks with bad results.”
Political analyst Najibullah Jameh wrote on his X about the retaliatory attack on Pakistan: “Thank you the Minister of Defense, who in a very clear, decisive and historic step responded to Punjab and targeted their military centers, thank you young defense minister! National interests are our red line.”
Kamal Nasir Osoli, a member of the lower house of the former government, also condemned Pakistan’s attacks and wrote on his X page that Pakistan had always exposed its real face to Afghanistan and had tried to destabilize the country.
He wrote: “Today’s retaliatory attacks by the caretaker government of Afghanistan are a proof of Afghanism and every Afghan should stand against such acts of Pakistan.”
Mohammad Hanif Atmar, former Minister of Foreign Affairs in the previous government, wrote: “We strongly condemn the air strikes of the Pakistani army on the territory of Afghanistan and consider them a clear violation of international standards, humanitarian laws and the national sovereignty and territorial integrity of Afghanistan. These attacks, which resulted in the deaths and injuries of innocent people, are despicable and cause serious instability.”
sa/ma
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