By NNN-Xinhua,
Islamabad : Pakistani and Afghan border security forces exchanged fires on Monday after the Pakistani forces tried to stop the “smuggling of flour” to the neighboring country, officials said.
The News Network International news agency quoted officials at the Pakistani border city of Chaman in southwestern Balochistan as saying that both sides started firing at 7:15 a.m. (0215GMT) which continued till 11 a.m.(0600GMT).
The cross firing was stopped after senior officials of the two countries held talks, officials said. There was no report of any casualty.
The Pakistani forces tried to stop three vehicles loaded with flour from heading to Afghanistan. “But when they did not stop, the forces started firing to stop them,” officials said.
Officials said the Afghan forces started firing at a check post of the Pakistani forces along the border. Locals said they saw forces gathering on both sides of the border.
Pakistan is facing acute flour shortage across the country and the government has banned export of flour to Afghanistan. People say that the smuggling of flour is one of the major causes of the flour shortage and hike in the prices.