Rocket attacks from Pakistan on Nuristan and Kunar provinces seek to pressure the Afghan government into recognising the Durand Line, the Afghan National Army’s chief of staff, Shir Mohammad Karimi, said on Tuesday.
Afghan senators had summoned General Karimi and other Afghan security officials to explain the recent cross-border shelling in the two provinces.

Officials said Pakistan was behind the attacks and blamed the country’s Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) agency and the army for the rockets.

General Karimi told lawmakers that the issue had been brought up with Nato and US officials a number of times.

“We asked Nato to put pressure on Pakistan several times,” General Karimi said. “But it is still unclear why Nato is not taking the issue seriously. Maybe they fear for their supply trucks or [Pakistan’s status as a] nuclear power,”

The Afghan Minister of Interior echoed General Karimi’s stance and said that nearly 1,000 rockets had landed in Afghanistan’s border regions since the start of this year.

“There is no doubt that the ISI and Pakistan’s army are continuing to fire rockets into Kunar province,” said Minister of Interior Bismillah Khan Mohammadi. He added that the Afghan security forces awaited orders from President Hamid Karzai and the Afghan parliament to take action against Pakistan.

He added that Pakistan’s army had penetrated 2 kilometres into Afghan territory.

“Look at these photos that we have collected with the help of local residents,” General Khan said. “The Taliban does not have such heavy artillery; only Pakistan’s army has this.”

Deputy Head of Operations at the National Directorate of Security, Mohammad Yasin Zia, told the Senate he believes that Pakistan’s army is attempting to place Pakistani spies in the houses left vacant by fleeing Afghans.

“These rockets are fired by Pakistan’s army 100 per cent; we reject the claims of Pakistani officials of rocket attacks from Afghanistan,” Dr Zia added.

At the end of the session Afghan senators voted that Afghan forces should take action against Pakistan.