ISLAMABAD, May 2: Pakistan summoned the most senior Afghan diplomat in the country on Thursday to protest against cross-border fire in which, according to officials, two Pakistani soldiers were injured and an Afghan guard was killed.

The Afghan chargé d’affaires was summoned to the foreign ministry to protest against “unprovoked firing”, said a statement.

“This is not the first time that the heavy fire was initiated from the Afghan side, causing heavy injury and damage to the Pakistani structures,” the foreign ministry said, adding that such incidents were creating “avoidable tension”.

An Afghan official, who declined to be named, said in Kabul that one Afghan police guard was killed in several hours of artillery exchanges.

“Afghan border police posts came under fire at about 9pm (1630 GMT) last night. Our border police returned fire,” interior ministry spokesman Sediq Sediqqi said. The exchange lasted until 2am, he said, adding that no further details were available as the incident was under investigation.

The renewed friction focuses on a gate partially constructed by Pakistan at a site that Afghan officials allege is inside Afghanistan.

“The gate which was built inside Afghan territory was destroyed in last night’s clash, and Afghan security forces are now in control of the area,” said Ahmadzia Abdulzai, a spokesman for the government in Nangarhar province.

According to witnesses, hundreds of people turned out at the funeral of the policeman, chanting anti-Pakistan slogans and hailing him as a national hero of Afghanistan.

“It was continuous fire on one of our checkposts that forced our troops to retaliate,” a senior Pakistani security official said.

Fauzee Khan Mohmand adds from Ghalanai: Two Pakistani soldiers were injured in the exchange of fire with Afghan security forces along the border in Mohmand tribal region on the night between Wednesday and Thursday, security officials said.

An official told Dawn that Afghan forces had attacked three Pakistani checkposts — Gursal, Gursal-1 and Mohmand — with rockets and small weapons that triggered an exchange of fire which continued for more than four hours.

Two injured soldiers were taken to a hospital.

Mohmand Agency’s political agent Dr Amber Ali Khan confirmed the clash and said that five ambulances with paramedical staff had been sent to the area.