Tense calm prevails on Pak-Afghan border

A tense calm prevailed in the border areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan on Tuesday, a day after Pakistan carried out an “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations” across the border that led to a heavy build-up at several points on the volatile frontier.

A Jirga of local notables and the militaries from the two sides also met in the morning to ensure a ceasefire. However, bilateral trade remained suspended at Kurram, North and South Waziristan crossings as traders were reluctant to take risks amid bilateral tensions.

Pakistan carried out strikes inside the neighbouring country in response to a March 16 terrorist attack in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, in which seven Pakistani soldiers, including two officers, were martyred. The Foreign Office had said that Pakistan was compelled to take that extreme measure.

According to the Foreign Office, the target of the operation was the terrorists belonging to Hafiz Gul Bahadur Group, which along with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), was responsible for multiple terrorist attacks in Pakistan, resulting in the death of hundreds of civilians and law-enforcement officials.

After the pre-dawn strikes on Monday, a heavy build-up was seen in the border areas of Afghanistan by Taliban commander for Panjshir Abdul Hameed Khurasani at Zero Point at Dandi-e-Pathan in the Paktia province.

Forces loyal to another Taliban commander, Qari Himmat, targeted various Pakistani posts with heavy and light weapons, while skirmishes were reported at Angor Adda in the South Waziristan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) in the evening.

As Tuesday dawned, mostly all border points became claim, though a high alert remained in place by the two sides. The Afghan officials had also asked the people to refrain from spreading unofficial statements and videos on social media accounts.

In Kabul, the Taliban government said its border forces targeted Pakistani posts along the border with “heavy weapons” on Monday but added that the fighting had stopped on Tuesday. “The situation is calm, the fighting has stopped,” Taliban government spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid told AFP.

A senior police officer in the Kurram district told AFP that Afghan forces struck the area with mortar shells, partially damaging three posts and five civilian houses, and injuring nine individuals. “Silence prevails on the border today, and security forces have reinforced their positions,” he added.

The two neighbours have been at loggerheads with each other over the banned TTP and the relationship deteriorated further after Islamabad decided to deport all Afghans illegally residing in the country. A number of Afghan Taliban leaders have issued strong statements recently, criticising Pakistan’s policy.

More than 500,000 Afghans have fled Pakistan after Islamabad set a November deadline for undocumented migrants to leave or face arrest, the International Organization for Migration (IOM) had said in January.

However, despite the latest flare-up in the bilateral ties, the authorities in Peshawar said they would begin a renewed push to deport Afghan migrants from the country next month. “The second phase of repatriating illegal Afghan immigrants will commence after Eid,” a senior official in K-P told AFP.

“However, the specifics of this phase are yet to be disclosed,” the official added, while speaking on condition of anonymity. “The K-P police have been directed to identify locations where illegal Afghan residents are located,” he added.

(WITH INPUT FROM AFP)