Pakistani airstrikes have killed five people, including three Afghan cricketers, in the border province of Paktika. The incident occurred during a gathering in Urgun District, where the athletes had returned after participating in a cricket match in Sharana, the capital of Paktika province. The Afghanistan Cricket Board expressed profound grief over the casualties, stating that the attacks were carried out by the Pakistani regime. The board has decided to withdraw from an upcoming tournament against Pakistan.
The Asian neighbors had agreed to a temporary ceasefire on Wednesday and were invited by the Qatari authorities to negotiate a permanent truce and address mutual concerns in Doha. Afghanistan cricketer Rashid Khan expressed deep sorrow over the strikes, highlighting the tragic loss of women, children, and young cricketers who dreamed of representing their nation on the world stage. Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry has not yet commented on the allegations, but Dawn newspaper reported that Islamabad targeted ‘terrorist hideouts’ in Afghanistan on Friday. The paper stated that the ‘precision strikes’ were conducted against hideouts of an outlawed group and killed dozens of fighters.
The attacks came shortly after an audacious gun-and-bomb attack targeting a military installation in North Waziristan, just hours after Islamabad and Kabul extended their two-day ceasefire. Former US Ambassador to Afghanistan Zalmay Khalilzad called Qatar an ‘honest broker’ for peace, but questioned whether Pakistan is an ‘honest neighbor.’ Khalizad noted the Afghan people face enough challenges in rebuilding their country after decades of war and highlighted Pakistan’s expulsion of over a million Afghan refugees, which the country is struggling to absorb.