Fencing the Afghan border

Army chief General Qamar Bajwa announced the construction of the fence on Saturday

Fears over increased infiltration by militants sheltering in Afghanistan have at last precipitated a more robust and permanent deterrent in the form of a costly but effective border fence. On Saturday, Army chief General Qamar Bajwa  announced the beginning of the construction of the fence - which is the lychpin of the border mechanism plan crafted by the authorities months earlier. The plan does not rely on the effectiveness of the border fence. It also involves the installation and use of a radar system, separate sensors and high-end surveillance gear to monitor cross-border movement.

Understandably, the fence will be built first in the tribal agencies of Bajaur and Mohmand which are designated as high threat zones, because of their proximity to Afghanistan’s Nangarhar and Kunar provinces where the leaders of the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan, Jamaatul Ahrar and other hostile groups are suspected to have sanctuaries. Together with these measures, Islamabad intends to also build 423 small forts along the 2,430km long border with Afghanistan. The forts will be situated at a distance of six kilometres from each other. Already more than 60 such forts have come up.

Citing a much older grievance over the Durand Line, Kabul has been showing its deep resentment over the measures for the last six months. That resentment surfaced almost as soon as Pakistani authorities announced plans for tighter border controls, manifesting from time to time into sporadic as well as sustained shelling by Afghan forces at Pakistani check posts. These aggressive actions left the two neighbours more estranged than ever.

The turning point came when a string of terror attacks hit four Pakistani cities. After it became apparent that the attacks were carried out by Afghanistan-based militants several border controls, including a stringent closure of all crossing points, were put in place. Given the ethnic make-up, culture and kinship of the people living in the two estranged countries, it would seem cruel to shackle the free movement of ordinary citizens. But security is a compulsion and not a choice for any state like Pakistan that has suffered so much at the hands of terrorists.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 27^th, 2017.

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