Pakistan Afghanistan border clashes flared again on Sunday as Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged fire at several points, prompting Islamabad’s military to warn Kabul that it could face punishment it would struggle to bear if it fails to stop terrorists operating from Afghan soil.
The fighting briefly closed the busy Torkham crossing over a disputed check post and left one civilian dead in mortar shelling near Angoor Adda. Tensions stayed high in Lower South Waziristan even after Torkham reopened.
Fire at Torkham and Angoor Adda
At Torkham, locals said gunfire began when Afghan authorities restarted work on the disputed Zangali check post, which sits within a 100-metre zone on the Afghan side of the line. Pakistan has long objected to that work. The two sides had earlier agreed not to build security structures inside a 100-metre radius of the border.
Light-arms fire lasted about an hour, with no reported casualties on the Pakistani side. The crossing shut at once, spreading panic among returning Afghans and nearby residents. Resident Siraj Khan said he saw about 20 vehicles carrying unregistered Afghan families rush back from Zero Point during the crossfire. Repatriation of unregistered Afghans was suspended and government offices closed.
The situation at Torkham settled after a closure of nearly five hours. Border officials from both countries, working through intermediaries, agreed to halt all construction near the frontier, and the crossing reopened. Elsewhere, the deputy commissioner of Lower South Waziristan said Taliban fighters kept firing on Pakistani checkpoints without provocation. Pakistani forces replied by hitting Afghan border posts, mortar positions and defensive checkpoints; he said no casualties were reported on the Pakistani side of those areas. Near Angoor Adda, two mortar shells were reportedly fired from the Afghan side, and one civilian was killed.
Military warning to Kabul
Against that backdrop, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) — the military’s media wing — chief Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry delivered a stark message. In an interview earlier this week, parts of which state media aired on Sunday, he said Pakistan has the operational readiness and a clear strategy to impose a heavy cost on Afghanistan’s interim leadership if terrorism keeps originating from Afghan territory. The military’s broader warning was that the Afghan Taliban could not withstand the punishment Islamabad could inflict if Kabul does not rein in militants.
The flare-ups also came as Washington backed Pakistan’s concerns about cross-border terrorist attacks from Afghanistan and signalled it was open to a productive role in lowering tensions — a rare diplomatic note amid the Pakistan Afghanistan border clashes.
Timeline: what has happened so far
- Earlier this week: ISPR chief Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said in an interview that Pakistan is ready to impose a heavy cost on Kabul if terrorism from Afghan soil continues.
- Sunday morning–afternoon: Construction at the disputed Zangali check post near Torkham triggers about an hour of light-arms fire; the crossing closes and repatriation work stops.
- Sunday: After nearly five hours and an intermediary-brokered halt to near-border construction, Torkham reopens; tensions remain high at Angoor Adda.
- Sunday: Mortar fire near Angoor Adda kills one civilian; Lower South Waziristan’s deputy commissioner reports continued firing on Pakistani posts and a Pakistani response with no local casualties reported.
- Sunday: Portions of the ISPR chief’s interview warning Kabul are broadcast on state media.
Aasan alfaaz mein
Sunday ko Pakistan Afghanistan border par firing hui. Torkham crossing lagbhag paanch ghante band raha, phir dono taraf ke agreement ke baad khula. Angoor Adda ke paas mortar se ek shehri janbahaq ho gaya. Fauj ne Kabul ko warn kiya hai ke agar Afghanistan se dehshatgardi na ruki to saza bohot sakht ho sakti hai.
