In a serious escalation of cross border tensions, the Pakistan Army has reportedly violated the ceasefire once again along the Durand Line, launching heavy shelling in Afghanistan’s Paktia province. The attack killed at least ten civilians, including three local cricketers, and injured eight others.

Following this incident, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) has announced that it will withdraw its national team from next month’s Twenty20 tri-series in Pakistan.

The Afghanistan Cricket Board said in a post on social media on Saturday that the cricketers were “targeted during a gathering” in Urgun district when they returned home after playing a friendly cricket match in Sharana, the capital of Paktika province.

Former Afghan member of Parliament Mariam Solaimankhil, speaking to NDTV from the United States, condemned the assault as “cowardly and barbaric,” holding Pakistan’s military responsible for what she called “systematic terrorism” in the region.

“We are not surprised,” she said. “This is the same pattern of violence the ISI and the Pakistan Army have unleashed for decades from India to Afghanistan. But to see young cricketers, babies, and mothers being killed, it's heartbreaking.”

Solaimankhil linked the latest attack to Afghanistan’s growing engagement with India following the recent visit of foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi to New Delhi. She accused Pakistan of reacting out of fear and insecurity.

“Whenever Afghanistan moves closer to India, our brotherly, historic partner, it threatens Pakistan's military establishment. Their entire economy thrives on war and destruction,” she said. “They cannot tolerate peace between Afghans and Indians.”

Calling for stronger India Afghanistan ties, the exiled MP urged unity against “the extremist ideology born in Rawalpindi.” She praised India’s continued support for the Afghan people and added that “our shared culture and history must defeat Pakistan's exported extremism.”

Sending a strong message to Pakistan’s Army Chief General Asim Munir, Solaimankhil said, “You reap what you sow. For decades, you've bred terrorists and used them as weapons. Don't be surprised when the fire you started burns your own home.”

She further accused Pakistan’s establishment of operating “a propaganda machine full of trolls” to justify civilian deaths under the pretext of anti TTP operations. “They say they're targeting terror camps, but not a single TTP member has been named or shown. What we have are pictures of Afghan babies murdered in cold blood.”