Afghanistan summon Pakistan envoy after firing at the borders

Cooperation between the two neighbours, both battling militant insurgencies is seen as key to peace in Afghanistan, since Pakistan is widely believed to wield considerable influence over the Taliban and allied militants.

In the meeting with Ambassador Syed Abrar Hussain, Afghanistan’s foreign ministry expressed serious objections to the heavy artillery firing in the border province of Kunar, the ministry said in a statement. Eight police were killed, it said.

President Ashraf Ghani has worked in his first year in office to improve ties with measures such as intelligence sharing, but after bombs in Kabul that killed dozens this month he furiously blamed Pakistan for “exporting war.”

“The fight against terrorism must be the top priority for countries in the region,” Ghani said in speech to mark Independence Day on Wednesday.

“Nobody can force us to accept their demands by threat,” he said.

That anger was also felt on the streets of Kabul where the city’s residents celebrated the holiday wrapped in Afghan flags.

Pakistan has condemned the recent attacks and blamed “spoilers and detractors” for trying to create mistrust between the two countries, which are divided by a border defined in a 1919 treaty recognising Afghan independence from the British empire, although the country was never fully colonised.