Following its decades long policy of stirring instability in Afghanistan, the Pakistani military regime has recently intensified its direct attacks on Afghanistan, violating its sovereignty. Disturbingly, the recent attacks mainly target innocent civilians and public infrastructures such as schools and hospitals. The aerial bombardments in Afghan cities have resulted in hundreds of civilian deaths. Furthermore, a continuous barrage of rocket and mortar shelling across the Durand line, especially in Kunar province, has not only led to many civilian deaths and injuries, but also to displacement of thousands of families. The most recent bombing of a rehabilitation facility that killed more than 100 civilians during the holy month of Ramadan might amount to war crimes and crimes against humanity and stands symbol for the cruelty of the Pakistani military against the Afghan people. By creating instability and insecurity through its proxies, the Pakistani military tries to create a pretext for its policy of aggression against Afghanistan and Afghan civilians. Several of Pakistan’s attacks directly targeting civilians, including the recent bombings of civilians in the Behsud District of Nangarhar and the rehabilitation center in Kabul, have been verified and condemned by United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and human rights organizations such as Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International.

We urgently call on the international community to intervene and stop the indiscriminate bombing and targeting of civilian population and civilian infrastructure (hospitals, mosques, homes and other essential assets) by Pakistan military  in Afghanistan.

Intentional attacks against the civilian population and civilian objects that do not constitute valid military objectives are defined as war crimes by the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (Articles 8 and 9).

The Geneva Convention of 1949 prohibits indiscriminate attacks and the use of weapons that cause excessive suffering to the civilian population.

We ask the UN Human Rights Council to open an investigation into the events described above.

We call on the UN Security Council, through the Special Representative for Afghanistan, to issue a binding resolution demanding the Pakistan military to immediately cease all offensive military action against Afghanistan, particularly Afghan civilians.

We request the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the ICRC to deploy international observers in the affected areas to document violations and protect the civilian population.

We call for a comprehensive reparations mechanism to be established for the victims, including medical care, reconstruction of hospitals and homes, and financial compensation in accordance with international human rights law. 

We call on countries, including the Netherlands, that sell weapons and other military equipment to Pakistan to stop providing Pakistan with the means  to kill innocent Afghans and oppress its minorities, such as Pashtuns and Baluchi’s.

And finally, we call on the relevant international institutions to impose sanctions (including asset freezes and travel bans) on those responsible for the attacks against Afghan civilians.