Pakistan-Afghan border: Army completes fencing of 482km border strip

Over 230 forts equipped with water, solar electricity and protection mines are also set up

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Army has completed fencing of the first 482 km long patch of the 1,403km long Pakistan-Afghanistan border in the Khyber Pakhtunkha (K-P). The fence is provided with security cameras and motion detectors.

On Thursday a delegation of journalists visited the Pakistan-Afghanistan Torkham border in the K-P’s Khyber district where security authorities gave them a detailed briefing on border management.

They said in 2017, the Pakistan Army in the first phase started working on 482km long patch along Pakistan-Afghanistan border.  Work on this patch has now completed well before time bringing about a visible decline in terrorism and smuggling.



Authorities said equipped with water, solar electricity and protection mines, 233 forts have also been constructed on the 1,403 km long border. To link these forts, safe tracks are also being constructed.

From the Torkham border crossing, around 1,200 trucks and 10,000 people enter and exit Pakistan but now no one gets permission to enter Pakistan without proper documents.

Special cards have been given to 200 Afghan students who live in Afghanistan but study in Pakistan. Emergency patients also get permission to enter Pakistan without documents.

They said as a goodwill gesture, the Afghan check posts near the border are provided water by Pakistan. However, the decision to fence the border has not gone down well with the Afghan government.

According to authorities, annually two-three attempts are made to disrupt the fence building and to cross the border into Pakistan. Till now 1,900 Afghans have been arrested and deported.



Two days back, the security forces killed three terrorists and handed over their bodies to Afghan officials. Authorities said 539 km long route, a major part of which has already been fenced, was the easiest route to enter Pakistan.