EFL
Pakistan has closed its embassy in Afghanistan after protesters in the capital Kabul broke into it. Pakistan's ambassador described the attack as a "big setback" and said the mission would not be opened until Kabul apologised and compensated Islamabad. The attack came as more than 1,000 people took to the streets for a second day in protest against alleged Pakistani incursions into Afghanistan. Over the past week Afghan and Pakistani troops have been exchanging small arms fire across their shared border.
| Kabulis have a bad habit of breaking into embassies. I think they started it when the Iranians occupied the U.S. embassy in Teheran. Just before the Sovs invaded they attacked the U.S. embassy in Kabul and killed an American warrant officer. Even though it's the Paks who're getting it this time, it's a habit the Afghans should try to break, before they go blind or grow hair on their palms... |
Tuesday's attack on the Pakistani mission in Kabul took place when some of the protesters broke away from the main rally and forced their way inside the embassy premises. Government officials joined the main protest rally which took place in the city centre. "This is a demonstration against Pakistan's military operations in Afghan territory in the provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar that have taken place in the past few days," the governor of the central bank, Anwar Ul-haq Ahady, said. "We want good relations with Pakistan but we will not tolerate anybody's interference," he said.
| "So keep on your own side of the border. That's why we have a border..." |
Over the weekend, Mr Karzai sent a team of high-ranking government officials to the border after tribal elders told him they were concerned that Pakistani forces were carrying out military operations inside Afghan territory. Last month the Pakistan army deployed troops in a border area which traditionally has not been administered by the central government. The operation was part of attempts to try to stop suspected Taleban and al-Qaeda fugitives from carrying out cross-border attacks on Afghanistan.
| Which gives me a certain amount of suspcion about the motives for bitching about cross-border incursions... |
On Monday, President Karzai said he would seek an explanation from Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf for allegedly questioning the effectiveness of his government. During a recent trip to Europe, General Musharraf allegedly spoke of a power vacuum in Afghanistan and said the government did not represent all ethnic groups, the Afghan foreign ministry said. "Afghanistan does not interfere in anyone's affairs and neither does it want others' interference in its affairs," Mr Karzai said.
Nothing like a external threat to pull a country together behind their leader. Humm, Karzai is not that devious, is he? |