KABUL - Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Abdullah Abdullah on Tuesday demanded a halt to the cross-border shelling along the Durand Line, saying those not supporting the war against the Taliban were losing their credibility in the eyes of their own nation.
Abdullah said this while addressing gathering marking the second death anniversary of Marshal Mohammad Qasim Fahim, the first vice-president during former president Hamid Karzai’s government.
At the anniversary held at Marshal Fahim Military University, the CEO said Fahim’s place could not be filled in the contemporary period when the countrymen faced multiple challenges.
He said Fahim always stressed the need for national unity and co-existence and he was a person who served the country his entire life.
The CEO said: “Mujahideen did not get their right place in the ranks of armed forces. I acknowledge that mistakes but efforts are on to provide the Mujahideen the privileges and rights they deserve.”
Abdullah demanded an immediate halt to the cross-border attacks from Pakistan in eastern Nangarhar province, saying many people had been displaced as a result.
He said the Afghan government remained patient over the issue which should not be considered a weakness.
At least 200 families have been displaced due to an exchange of fire between Afghan and Pakistani security forces in the Goshta district of eastern Nangarhar province.
Brig. Gen. Wali Khan Shinwari, commander of the 301st border police force, told Pajhwok Afghan News Pakistani security forces had been firing at different villages in the district for a month.
On Sunday, a fire erupted across the Durand Line in Goshta after the Pakistani border guards attacked Anarki area, a public representative claimed. The Afghans responded to the shelling from the Pakistani guards, who used light and heavy weapons, including artillery fire.
Abdullah said the sacrifices of the Afghan armed forces were admirable and the nation was united in the war against the Taliban.
He said different opinions among people would not help the war against the Taliban to be a success, urging the nation to help the government fight the armed opposition. He said Taliban’s sympathizers would lose their place in the nation.
The CEO did not name anyone. However, High Peace Council (HPC) chairman Pir Syed Ahmad Gilani in his recent interview with the BBC said the war against the Taliban was not fruitful and had no justification.
Abdullah said the government was committed to defending the country and preserving the hard-won decade-long achievements. He said reaching to a durable peace was the government’s top priority. (Pajhwok)