ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday called the Afghan Charge d'Affaires to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to convey its strong protest over unprovoked firing by Afghan forces on the Torkham border crossing.
At least two soldiers and nine civilians, including women and children, have been injured so far in the unprovoked firing at the border crossing, which is said to have continued until earlier in the evening.
According to a press release by the Foreign Office, the Afghan Charge d'Affaires was told that the firing incident was contrary to the spirit of friendly relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
"The Afghan side was urged to thoroughly investigate the incident and share the findings with Pakistani authorities. It was further emphasized that all steps should be taken for avoiding recurrence of such incidents in the future," it said.
The incident was sparked during the construction of a gate inside Pakistani territory to check the movement of terrorists across the border.
The Foreign Office statement said the firing was aimed at disrupting the construction of the gate well inside Pakistani territory at the border.
The gate is being constructed to facilitate the cross-border movement of people and vehicles.
"It was conveyed to the Afghan side that the regulation of movements at Torkham is part of the government's policy to strengthen border management. Therefore, Afghan government's cooperation was needed as it would enhance mutual security and help combat the threat of terrorism," said the Foreign Office statement.
Military spokesman Lt. Gen Asim Bajwa shared a map of the gate being constructed at the border.
"This gate, considered essential to check and verify documentation of all border crossers, will check movement of terrorists," DG ISPR Maj-Gen Asim Bajwa said in a tweet.