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As many as two people including a 12-year-old child were killed on Wednesday when an Afghan sentry opened "unprovoked and indiscriminate" firing on pedestrians at the Chaman border in Balochistan, the military's media affairs wing said, Dawn reported.
Dawn is a Pakistani English-language newspaper. As per the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), a child was also injured during the firing. The ISPR said: "On October 4, at 1600 hours, an Afghan sentry employed at Friendship Gate of Chaman Border Crossing along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Balochistan opened unprovoked and indiscriminate firing at pedestrians moving from Pakistan to Afghanistan." The ISPR said the incident occurred at the outbound gate located on the zero line. "Own troops exercised extreme restraint and avoided any exchange of fire in the presence of innocent passengers to avoid collateral damage," it stated. The ISPR said the bodies have been shifted to the Chaman District Headquarters Hospital and the injured child, who was immediately evacuated by security forces, is under treatment. The statement said: "Afghan authorities have been approached to inquire the reason for such irresponsible and reckless act, apprehend and hand over the culprit to Pakistani authorities." It added that the Taliban was expected to "exercise control over its troops and impart discipline to act responsibly in order to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future". "Pakistan remains committed to contributing towards peace, prosperity and development through positive and constructive bilateral relations, however, such unpleasant occurrences have the potential to harm the sincere intent and purpose," the ISPR statement concluded. In 2022, six people were killed and 17 others sustained injuries in firing by the Afghan Border Forces at the Chaman border. The incident was widely condemned by the then-government, Foreign Office and diplomats. The cross-border attack also led to the closure of the busy Chaman border crossing used for trade and transit. (ANI)
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