CHAMAN: At least one person was killed and 15 people were injured in firing incidents at the Chaman border on Thursday, reports said.
The border region is being evacuated following hostilities, and DHQ Chaman has declared an emergency, according to local authorities.
The injured were transferred to the Chaman District Headquarters Hospital, according to Dr. Waseem Baig, the media coordinator for the Balochistan Health Department.
Levies officials reported that multiple artillery rounds were fired upon the civilian population around the Boghra Road and Custom House areas from the Afghan side. They added that the Pakistani forces have given a befitting response to Afghan shelling.
The deputy commissioner of Chaman shared that an emergency has been declared at the hospital, adding that the citizens have been asked to evacuate from Mall Road, Boghra Road bypass, and Border Road.
In a statement, Balochistan Minister for Home Affairs Mir Ziaullah Langove condemned the incident and sought a report from the deputy commissioner. He said that the army knew how to defend the country’s borders.
“We believe in pursuing a friendly policy with neighboring countries. Do not think of our desire for peace as a weakness,” he said.
The event occurred four days after Chaman, which was subjected to intense gunfire and artillery shelling by Afghan border forces, claimed at least seven lives and injured 16 others.
According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistani military responded “appropriately” but “measuredly,” avoiding civilian targets on the opposing side and describing the incident as “uncalled-for aggression.”
Defense Minister Khawaja Asif had subsequently said that the interim government in Afghanistan had apologized to Pakistan for the incident, saying that the “matter is now resolved”.
Last month, the Pak-Afghan border at Chaman was closed for an indefinite period after an armed man from the Afghan side opened fire on Pakistani security personnel at Friendship Gate, resulting in the martyrdom of one soldier and leaving two others wounded.
