New Delhi: India on Monday strongly condemned the cross-border airstrikes by Pakistan in Afghanistan’s Paktika province in which 46 civilians were killed, and slammed Islamabad for its “practice” of blaming neighbours for its own failures.
In a statement, the Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said, in reference to the December 25 airstrikes conducted by Pakistan into Afghan territory:
“We have noted the media reports on airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several precious lives have been lost.
“We unequivocally condemn any attack on innocent civilians.
“It is an old practice of Pakistan to blame its neighbours for its own internal failures. We have also noted the response of an Afghan spokesperson in this regard.”
The Afghan Taliban regime in Kabul has strongly condemned the Christmas Day airstrikes and has vowed retaliation.
The Taliban said the Pakistani airstrikes in Paktika’s Barmal district targeted civilians, mostly women and children, while Islamabad claimed that the strikes were aimed at militant camps of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).
India’s statement comes as the Taliban Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai issued a warning to Pakistan on Saturday, cautioning Islamabad not to exploit the patience of Afghanistan’s interim government.
Speaking at a programme in Kabul, Stanikzai, who received his military training in India, in a warning to Islamabad said that “Afghanistan has fighters who act like atomic bombs”.
The Deputy Minister also said that Pakistan “should not shift its blame onto Afghanistan”, referring to the terrorist attacks in Pakistan that Islamabad has blamed on the TTP. Pakistan says the TTP is acting out of Afghan territory and has accused Kabul of doing nothing to rein in the terror group.
Earlier, on December 26, Taliban acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi had voiced anger over Pakistan’s cross-border air strikes, and warned that Afghans will not forget the aggression against their homeland.
Muttaqi said that “countries that humiliate Afghanistan” should learn lessons from Britain, the Soviet Union, and NATO, and asked Pakistan to “adopt a measured policy towards Afghanistan”.
Muttaqi said: “We send this message to Pakistan’s officials: it is no achievement to martyr children. You martyred women and elders and destroyed homes. This is neither courage nor manliness. Even the people of Waziristan have become refugees because of you.”
The Taliban’s Ministry of Defense said that the Pakistani airstrikes had killed “Waziristani refugees”.
The Pakistani airstrikes on parts of Barmal district in Paktika province also destroyed several homes and buildings.
The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said it had received “credible reports” of dozens of civilian casualties, including women and children, in the airstrikes conducted by Pakistani forces in Paktika province.
Referring to the cross-border strikes, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, during a meeting with security officials, said that his country had responded decisively to recent attacks.
Sharif said: “A few days ago, there was an attack on Pakistan from the other side, and a crushing response was given to them. Here in Pakistan, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, where some local individuals are present, and also in Balochistan, where conspiracies against Pakistan are being hatched, we know which countries are supporting them.”
In response to the Pakistani airstrikes on Paktika province, the Taliban regime’s Ministry of Defense carried out retaliatory attacks on positions across the Durand Line.
In the latest incident, forces from the Islamic Emirate and Pakistan engaged in clashes on Friday in Khost Province, which lasted for more than three and a half hours, Tolo reported.
UNI
