QUETTA: Two Pakistani civilians were killed while two others were injured on Wednesday after Afghan forces fired on them at the southwestern Chaman border gate between the two countries, an official said, amid a fresh row between the two countries over illegal immigrants in Pakistan.
Border tensions between the two countries have risen since the Taliban’s return to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, as Islamabad accuses militants of using Afghan soil to launch attacks on Pakistan. Afghan authorities have rejected the allegations and said it does not allow militants to use Afghan soil for subversive activities.
Tensions between the two countries escalated on Tuesday after Pakistan announced it would deport illegal immigrants living in the country from Nov. 1 after a steep rise in militant attacks in the country. The move is likely to impact over a million Afghan refugees who have been living in the country for decades now.
Chaman Deputy Commissioner Athar Abbas Raja told Arab News that Afghan border guards opened indiscriminate firing at the Chaman border crossing — also known as Friendship Gate — which halted pedestrian movement for some time.
“As a result of the firing by the Afghan Taliban at Chaman border crossing, a 12-year-old boy and an elderly pedestrian aged 70 were killed,” Raja said, adding that two other civilians were injured in the incident. He said both the injured and the deceased were shifted to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Chaman.
Raja said Pakistani border forces were on alert but the situation is under control.
“The friendship gate has not been shut down, and the recent matter has been reported to the higher authorities which will take it up with the Afghan government,” the deputy commissioner said. 
In a separate statement, Pakistan Army’s media wing said Pakistani border forces exercised restraint to protect innocent passengers’ lives at the border crossing.
“Afghan authorities have been approached to inquire the reason of such irresponsible and reckless act, apprehend and hand over the culprit to Pakistani authorities,” the army’s media wing said. “IAG is also expected to exercise control over its troops and impart discipline to act responsibly in order to avoid recurrence of such incidents in future.”
Muhammed Hamza Shafqaat, commissioner of Quetta division, told Arab News that Pakistan is ready to face any backlash from Afghanistan’s forces after the government’s policy to deport illegal immigrants and allow only persons with a valid passport and entry visa to enter Pakistan after Nov. 1.
“The Pakistani government has decided a new one-document policy for Afghan citizens who want to enter into Pakistan,” Shafqat told reporters at a news conference. “The administration in Chaman is engaged with the Afghan officials but we will implement the new policy at Pak-Afghan Chaman border.
Last month, the Torkham border crossing between the two countries remained closed for eight days after clashes between Afghanistan and Pakistan’s border forces.
Another bone of contention between Pakistan and Afghanistan is the Durand Line, a 2,640-kilometer (1,640-mile) demarcation created while the British ruled the sub-continent. From the time Pakistan gained its independence in 1947 till today, the line serves as a border between Afghanistan and Pakistan. While Pakistan says the Durand Line is the official border between the two states, Afghanistan has historically rejected the same.