Welcoming the Afghanistan Cricket Board’s (ACB) decision to withdraw from upcoming matches against Pakistan, he said national dignity must come before all else, adding, “I stand with our people at this difficult time”.
The captain of Afghanistan national cricket team, Rashid Khan, has expressed deep sorrow over the civilian casualties in Pakistan’s recent aerial strikes in the country, terming the attacks “immoral and barbaric”.
Condemning the targeting of civilian infrastructure, he said the strikes, which killed women, children and young cricketers, were a “grave violation of human rights”.
Three Afghan cricketers were among 8 people killed in Pakistani airstrikes that hit Afghanistan late on Friday. According to Tolo News, the attacks targeted residential areas in Kandahar’s Spin Boldak district, where most victims were women and children.
Following the strikes, the Afghanistan Cricket Board cancelled a T20 cricket tournament that was supposed to include Pakistan.
In a statement, the ACB expressed deep sorrow over the deaths, calling it “a cowardly attack carried out by the Pakistani regime”. The three cricketers – Kabeer, Sibghatullah and Haroon – were from the Urgun district of Paktika province.
The Board said the players had travelled to Sharana, the capital of Paktika, to play a friendly cricket match. After returning home, they were targeted during a local gathering. The attack also injured seven others.
According to Afghan media reports, Pakistan carried out a series of airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Paktika province on Friday, with Kabul accusing Islamabad of violating a fragile ceasefire between the two neighbours.
Citing sources, Tolo News reported that the airstrikes hit residential areas in the Urgun and Barmal districts, resulting in heavy civilian casualties.
The attacks took place during a 48-hour ceasefire that had been agreed upon following days of intense cross-border clashes.
Earlier, Pakistan had proposed extending the ceasefire until the end of the ongoing peace talks in Doha, aimed at reducing tensions and preventing further violence. Kabul reportedly accepted the proposal, agreeing to continue the ceasefire until the talks conclude.
