The Foreign Ministry said this on the air strikes on Afghanistan
The Ministry of External Affairs strongly denounced the assaults and voiced grave sorrow over the loss of innocent lives after reports of airstrikes on Afghan civilians, particularly women and children.
Randhir Jaiswal, the spokesman for the MEA, also criticized Pakistan for its long-standing tendency to place the blame for its own problems on its neighbors.
Jaiswal responded to questions from the media on Monday, saying, “We have noted the media reports on airstrikes on Afghan civilians, including women and children, in which several precious lives have been lost.”
“We categorically condemn any assault on defenseless people. Pakistan has a long history of blaming its neighbors for its own internal problems. In this context, we have also taken notice of an Afghan spokesperson’s answer,” he said.
Security authorities said that during border battles last month, at least eight people were killed and 13 others, including civilians, were wounded on the Afghan side, Dawn said.
The fierce gunfight came as tensions escalated in December when Pakistani fighter planes attacked suspected Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) facilities in the eastern Afghan province of Paktika.
Following an unsuccessful effort by Afghan insurgents to penetrate Pakistan, new violence broke out.
Concerns about extremists using Afghan territory for cross-border assaults, especially in areas like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, have been voiced by Pakistan on several occasions. In his speech, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif emphasized that assaults from Afghan territory constituted a “red line” for Pakistan and urged the Afghan government to act decisively against the TTP.
He said that while Pakistan is open to have discussions with Kabul, these discussions cannot take place in the midst of continuous airstrikes.
According to Dawn, a Pakistani team headed by Special Representative Muhammad Sadiq had also met with Afghan authorities in Kabul to reestablish diplomatic relations after a one-year break.
