ISLAMABAD: In response to cancellation of a military trip to Pakistan by Afghan government over alleged cross-border shelling by Pakistani troops, Pakistan said on Thursday that Afghanistan overreacted to a small incident.
An eleven-member team of Afghan National Army (ANA) officers were due to visit Quetta at the invitation of the Pakistan Army to take part in a simulation military exercise and headquarters drills at the Quetta Staff College.
But the Afghan government cancelled its military trip to Pakistan in response to “unacceptable Pakistani shelling” in the country’s eastern province of Kunar.
“We believe that Afghanistan overreacted to a small incident,” Pakistan foreign ministry spokesman Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry said.
The Pakistani foreign ministry said its “disciplined and responsible” troops had responded to what it called “some intrusions from the Afghan side”.
The spokesman said the army visit had been designed to increase “mutual cooperation and confidence, and we believe such activities should continue in the larger interest of peace in the region”.
Ahmed emphasized that Pakistan and Afghanistan have to work together in harmony to promote peace not only in Afghanistan but also in the whole region. “Pakistan would continue to make use of its good offices for bringing reconciliation‚ peace and stability in Afghanistan,” he said.
DND
