Afghans shout slogans during a protest in Jalalabad. PHOTO: AFP
KABUL: Hundreds of Afghan university students in the eastern city of Jalalabad took to the streets on Monday to protest the building of a Pakistani military gate in what the Afghan defence ministry says is inside Afghanistan.
The incident is the latest in rising tensions between the two sides, whose attempts to lure the Taliban to the peace table have stalled amid their feuding.
Pakistani support for the Afghan peace process is considered essential because of the two countries' long, porous border and Islamabad's history of supporting militant groups.
The protest was sparked by a statement on Sunday by Afghan President Hamid Karzai who ordered his top officials to take immediate action to remove the gate and other "Pakistani military installations near the Durand Line".
The Durand Line is the 1893 British-mandated border between the two countries. It is recognised by Pakistan, but not by Afghanistan.
Afghanistan maintains that activity by either side along the Durand Line must be approved by both countries.
"Establishing a gate by Pakistan on the Durand Line and inside Afghanistan is against all international norms," Afghan defence ministry spokesman, General Zahir Azimi, told a news conference on Monday.
"We will use all options to remove whatever they have built," he added, without elaborating.
That came on the same day as university students in the Surkhroad district of Nangarhar province demonstrated against the Pakistani gate.
Chanting "death to Pakistan", "death to ISI" and "death to (Pakistani President Asif Ali) Zardari", the students marched from Nangarhar university and blocked the main highway between Kabul and Jalalabad for about an hour.
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muslim don,t have border with other muslim i think love from kabul
I am really great full to Pakistani ppl and government cuz the time we needed help the helped us not like Iranian that r killing afghan migrates but the fact is that we don't accept Durand line first cuz during that contract was sign by Amir abdu Rahman khan in 1893 he didn't discuss bout it with his cabinate and afghan ppl and the truth is actually he sold his country only for 12 lak rupees yearly that was paid by British that time and secondly that contract was written in English that unfortunately he could not read that and even didn't knew what is the fine print of the contract and paktia ,nuristan,khyber,sendh,Baluchistan ,Quetta were all in border of afghanistan now lots of them included peshawar are in Pakistan borders I am studying in grade 12 and after 11 years living in Pakistan I am back to my country and I really like the kind ppl of Pakistan I met and I have lots of good Pakistani friends too but the truth is Durand line is un acceptable for afghans and we want our country parts not just from Pakistan even from Iran too the Asfahan belongs to afghanistan thx .
@Someone: Silly, it means they will take over Baluchistan.
@Gulam Rasool”Kuldeep sharma”....Much appreciation for providing technical education to Afghan youth, it is great need of time.
Just to update you. Pakistan and Afghan universities has recently signed MoU to extend research and collaboration. From 2009, Higher Education Commission (HEC) pakistan has awarded 1000 scholarship for graduate studies for Afghan students in top ranked universities. so far around 50% of those scholarships have been awarded and Afghan students are enjoying their research and study program in Pakistan.
In addition, so far, more than 35,000 Afghan graduates have received their degrees from Pakistani academic institutions. and undergrad/ technical education through Refugee programs are not mentioned here.
Final input, both India and Pakistan need to entertain Afghan student without biases. Most of Pashtun Afghans who comes to Pakistan speak bad about India that Indian authorities select most of non-pashtun students, so India creates a divide between Pashtun and non-pashtun. No matter how intelligent a pashtun student is prefer goes to non-pashtun. I am not saying, its 100 %, there are pashtun students get chance too. In contrast, most of Pashtun and Hazar students prefer to come to Pakistan for study and work.
Unfortunately it creates a divides, which has a long history of doing it.
@Shaami:
" This is the case of sheer disrespect of the neighboring country Sovereignity and not recognizing many Parts of our region as a part of our country is a provocation on the Afghanistan’s part"
Actually, Afghans are justified in their claim. According to facts, a large area east of the Durand line was acquired by the British on a 100 year lease that expired on 1993.
@Shaami:
Send your nice little Punjabi sons. Don't use illiterate Taliban proxies. Send the best and brightest. I will leave my luxurious home in the west to greet them. Forget history and your incitement of extremism to destabilize the region as a tremendous accomplishment you think you should be proud of. Come through the gates of Kandahar and we will be there with open arms.
@Islamabad: There is another blog titled:"In Amsterdam: When Pakistanis bring shame to Pakistan Trash" Let me tell you one incidence that fits both.
Two years ago, I took a cab from JFK airport. The driver was an Indian. We were talking and he told me his story. He is from Punjab and came to USA on a visitors visa in the 80's. When he landed at SFO, he had only few hours on his visa and the immigration officer asked him what he is going to do in USA in the few hours. He told them he has come all the way and still can have few hours in USA. Those days it was not that difficult to enter USA. He was allowed entry and the first thing he did in the morning was to contact the lawyer as was pre-arranged and apply for political asylum. He said that he was allowed to stay and work in USA but could not visit India until he got his US citizenship. He has a new name and US passport now. Here in USA you can change your name just by choosing a new name and no other formalities at the time you are given US citizenship. He brought his wife also to USA and visits India regularly every 2-3 years with his children born here, on his new passport and new name. He said that it was tough for him to leave his wife in India for nearly 6 years and not able to visit India. Chauhan is gone and Fai cannot get his Kashmiri chai in the jail. Kalistan movement was there only for about 3 years and Chauhan made lot of money by cheating Sikhs and Sikhs have realized.
On Manipur, I think you must be watching too much of Ahmed Qureshi, Hamid Gul and Zaid Hamid. In every city in India, particularly in Kolkata, Delhi and Chennai, you will find loads of billboards advertising for MBA courses in Manipur University. You just cannot miss it in any street in Kolkata. Thousands of students from all over India graduate MBA from Manipur University each year. You think students from other places in India will take courses in Manipur University if there is a separatist movement?
Back to the issue of Afghanistan, what Pakistan needs to do is to hand over all Afghan talibans to the Afghan government. If you continue to think that Baradar is your brother, the saying "in the kingdom of blind, one-eyed man is the king" will come true and you will have an amir-ul-momineen ruling you from Quetta.
@Islamabad Go to daddy and ask about 1971
@ afghan cry babies :- We will nuke you back to stone age. Oh wait you medieval barbarians already live in prehistoric times. Plus soon we will annex Paktia, Nuristan, and Paktika provinces because they rightfully belong to Pakistan. @ raj - usa :- Do you want another Khalistan movement? If not then do shut your filthy mouth. Otherwise the next morning you will wake up to see an Independent Manipur and Independent Khalistan, alongside a truncated artificial ramshackle defunct india.
Alone in 2012, India gave 354 scholarships to Afghan students to study Engineering, Medical & Fine arts in India, what was provided by Pakistan: "GUNS" There are almost 4000 students from Afghanistan developing High Tech skill in India.
Gulam Rasool"Kuldeep sharma" New Delhi
Stop their transit aid!
All problems will be solved.
@S: "Afghans are our Muslim brothers and sisters. Keep calm even if they are angry now. We are one Ummah."
Then why not give Afghans the land they claim and done with it. After all, the land is going to your Muslim brothers! How does it matter whether it is Afghanistan or Pakistan?
@Last Nail: What are you talking about? Afghanistan has been a willing Indian stooge since the time the British left the region. They use Afghanistan as a base to send criminals to Pakistan- this was clarified even by US Senator Chuck Hagel who is now Defense Secretary. Pakistan needs to deport all illegal Afghanis and somehow close the entire border to these Afghanis. Let them all move to their Indian masters for help then.
@ohyeah: Pakistan have already crossed the Durand Line many years ago and you dont know that. In modern warfare you dont need to set foot on the ground to fight but still you can conquer that region. Also Do you know that Khyber was attacked in the past by the people from Punjab led by Ranjit Singh and if someone say that Khyber is never attacked then they are living in another world. Also kindly study the history that the fort that all Forts including Jamrud fort was taken by People of Punjab during Ranjit Singh's time as a result of Revenge of Atrocities of Sher Shah and no one was able to took these forts back until the Britishers came. Ranjit Singh challenged the locals to get these forts back but until Britishers came no one from Afghanistan was ever able to win a single fight against Soldiers of Ranjit Singh Empire.
@Raj - USA:
In your dreams Endian Troll.
@Barekzai....Hope no one is provoking, rather its Kabul, which is trying to use "an old existed check post" as a election technique.
Kabul knew Pakistan military already have these check posts, every state has due right to renovate an old infrastructure with advance technology and system. Like President Obama said in his presidential campaign, its not a time of "horses and bonnets".
I agree with you, if you refer about not to repeat last 60 years of history between Afghanistan and Pakistan since 1947, that both sides have interfering domestic matters...otherwise, if your reference is before 1947, then you can not underestimate role of our Tribal areas, swat and other regions as key role in history whether it was Alexander facing resistance in today's Pakistani Swat (while many Afghan brothers take it credit, so we Pakistani pashtun actually carries the credit) or lately Tribal Pashtuns of Pakistan repelling back Afghan forces in Daud's period of 1950s and 1960s.
My Pakistani brothers please don't provoke us afghans because if you do then history will repeat itself.
@sid: Did they work well in Kargil?
as you can see indians are jumping for joy about this. we need to be vigilant about all threats in our country and there are many. afghanistan is one of them - the only country other than india to object to pakistan's creation.
had pak not been created they would be burning flags of republic of india...
what makes me upset is how much we have done for afghanistan from refugees to soviet union to free roaming, no visas, access to every city in karachi, the spread of guns and heroin.
no appreciation whatsoever.
i can understand anger towards foriegn policy but regular people? not justified.
@ Raj All these dreams and imaginary beliefs will vanish the day Indians and US will run away from Afghanistan. Sadly for US and India, there plan is miserably off course to give Afghanistan a sea port.
@ohyeah: Don't forget we have nuclear bombs...........
I think Afghanistan will teach pakistan a lesson that they never forget
Its election time in Afghanistan and Karzai knows he is making his people fool.
If everyone start claims for territories then actual persian empire ruled all the lands, alexander, moghals everyone posses the land.
Since Afghan king categorically writes that 'waziris/ mehsud' current pakistan tribal areas are disobedient to Afghan king, so he was happy in signing border agreement to draw the permanent border between Afghanistan and then India that help to keep united Afghanistan....now it looks a claim for nothing than exploiting the emotions of normal Afghans.
@sid:
Speaking as an Afghan. Please invade. You've fought multiple wars on your borders. Why haven't you every crossed that Durand Line? We want you to. Welcome. Come on in. Send your bravest and finest soldiers. Everything.
@Raj - USA: Well, Afghans do not take insults by Pakistanis lightly and by the time US forces vacate the region, Afghanistan may have a sea port.
Wondering how a sea port is going to pop up from a landlocked land mostly of deserts and mountains. It is mind boggling indeed.
@Shaami
I would point out that Islamabad has little or no control of the region and militants use that territory with impunity to attack Afghanistan. Many would consider your comment about "disrespect" hypocritical.
I support the views of shaami.
don't forget even Paktia is part of Pakistan :)
A joke has been circulating in Afghan circles that President Karzai once introduced an Afghan to a Pakistani official. Karzai said that the Afghan is the Minister of Ports & Shipping. The Pakistani official ridiculed and said Afghanistan does not even have any sea port and what is this ministry for? Karzai said, "Well, Pakistan has a Foreign Minister too".
Well, Afghans do not take insults by Pakistanis lightly and by the time US forces vacate the region, Afghanistan may have a sea port.
Peole are more important than the borders! Durand line drawn in the air was never recognised by Afghanistan, nor the tibes who live their. True is that the Brits were allowed against a fixed payment to the tribes, to build small trunk (narrow) roads for day use only approaching the so called Durand line and in limited specific places. Needless to say that if Pakistan is playing the cavalier now and at the instigation of certain tribesmen, then this is a new game now.
Rex Minor
Bite the hand that feeds you.
Please remove the caption picture or atleast change it with some other one because I cannot tolerate disrespect of our esteemed organization.
We are surounded. We are isolated. Thanks to our foreign policies.
Afghans are our Muslim brothers and sisters. Keep calm even if they are angry now. We are one Ummah.
"Death to Pakistan"? Have they forgotten that US will leave them one day?
It is inside Pakistan upto many Kilometers but Pakistani people should know that Afghanistan still dont recognize KPK and Upper Balochistan as a Part of Pakistan and that is why they are complaining for nothing. This is the case of sheer disrespect of the neighboring country Sovereignity and not recognizing many Parts of our region as a part of our country is a provocation on the Afghanistan's part and Our country must give them a good answer before they started to lay claim on the whole of Pakistan through their delusional minds.