Pakistani security forces stationed at Pak-Afghan border.—AFP Photo
Pakistani security forces stationed at Pak-Afghan border.—AFP Photo

KABUL: Afghanistan warned Pakistan Sunday that any further cross-border shelling could significantly harm relations, just days after the leaders of the two strife-torn neighbours met to talk peace.

More than 300 heavy artillery shells and rockets were fired from Pakistan into Dangam district of eastern Kunar province on Friday and Saturday, killing at least four people, provincial spokesman Wasifullah Wasifi told AFP.

Last month, a barrage of cross-border fire from Pakistan into Kunar forced thousands of villagers to flee their homes, officials said, after Islamabad accused Kabul of giving safe haven to militants who infiltrated to kill 13 Pakistani soldiers.

Afghanistan and Pakistan typically blame each other for violence by Taliban militants plaguing both sides of their porous border.

Afghanistan's Deputy Foreign Minister Jawed Ludin on Sunday summoned Pakistan's ambassador in Kabul to discuss the latest barrage of periodic shelling across the Durand Line, a foreign ministry statement said.

“Any continuation of such reported shelling against Afghan villages could have a significant negative impact on bilateral relations,” the statement quoted Ludin as telling ambassador Mohammad Sadiq.

Both sides agreed to hold a senior-level meeting of military officials soon in Afghanistan's eastern city of Jalalabad over the shelling and improve military coordination along the Durand Line, the statement said.

President Hamid Karzai's office said the issue was raised in a meeting of the national security council on Sunday and security officials were instructed “to put into place all due actions necessary”, without elaborating.

Pakistani Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, in response to a question at a joint news conference with Karzai on Thursday, said Pakistan was also attacked from Afghanistan and the issue had been raised in a meeting between the two leaders.

“Same like, from this side, from Kunar side, we get attacks on our armed forces, on our civilians.

“So we have discussed all these things, and now we have to do our utmost ... to control such happenings,” Ashraf said.

Opinion

Editorial

Missing in action
17 Mar, 2026

Missing in action

NOT exactly known for playing a proactive role in protecting the interests of Muslim nations and populations...
Risk to stability
Updated 17 Mar, 2026

Risk to stability

THE risks to Pakistan’s fragile economic recovery from the US-Israel war on Iran cannot be dismissed. Yet the...
Enrolment push
17 Mar, 2026

Enrolment push

THE federal government has embarked upon the welcome initiative to enrol 25,000 out-of-school children in Islamabad...
Holding the line
16 Mar, 2026

Holding the line

PAKISTAN’S long battle against polio has recently produced encouraging signs. Data from the national eradication...
Power self-reliance
Updated 16 Mar, 2026

Power self-reliance

PAKISTAN’S transition to domestic sources of electricity is a welcome development for a country that has long been...
Looking for safety
16 Mar, 2026

Looking for safety

AS the Middle East conflict enters its third week, the war’s most enduring victims are not those who wage it....