Pakistan to resolve Pak-Afghan border fence issue diplomatically
Since the Taliban came to power in Afghanistan, videos have surfaced on social media of barbed wire being erected for security along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border.
The videos have been followed by statements from the Afghan Taliban stating that they do not recognize the border. Pakistani officials remained silent on the matter until Sunday, but a statement from Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi came out on Monday.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said in a press conference that "Pakistan is not silent on the issue of removal of barbed wire by the Taliban on the Pak-Afghan border."
"We have erected a fence and insha'Allah our efforts will continue," he said. Afghanistan is our friendly neighbor, we have an engagement with them and we will, God willing, remove all the confusion that has arisen through diplomatic channels.
"Some people want to raise this issue and we think it is not in Pakistan's interest to raise it. But we will protect our interests," he added.
So far, various such videos have been circulating on social media, two of which are apparently about the Pak-Afghan border with Nangarhar province of Afghanistan and Mohmand district of Pakistan.
A video is said to have been made in the Afghan province of Nimroz near the Pak-Afghan border. Recently, a video has surfaced in which a barbed wire is being pulled out with a truck. This video was made at night.
Pictures of some areas have also been shared on social media in which rolls of barbed wire can be seen. Sources in Mohmand district of Pakistan said that the fence has been removed from two places by Afghanistan.
One is in the Goshti area of Nangarhar Province, Afghanistan, and the other is in the Pelosi area, where a government school is also visible.
The Afghan Taliban are talking in a video shared by Afghanistan in which they say that this is the area of Upper Pelosi and the agreement was reached during the time of former President Ashraf Ghani and Government Primary School Pelosi Mohmand has been built here. And this is the territory of Afghanistan.
Similarly, on Twitter, a local Afghan journalist shared a video of a spokesman for the Taliban government's Ministry of Defense in which he spoke in Persian about the fence on the Pak-Afghan border. The spokesman said that the installation of barbed wire increases the distance between the two nations and this fence is against global and regional principles.
In addition, when contacted by Bilal Karimi, an official in the Ministry of Information in Afghanistan, he said that no formal statement has been issued so far, but there have been some minor incidents on the border which are trying to resolve. Is being done and the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan is trying not to use the territory of Afghanistan against any country.
He said that efforts were being made to resolve these issues.
Prior to Shah Mehmood Qureshi's press conference, the BBC sent emails and telephone messages and questions to the relevant Pakistani authorities in this regard but no reply was received.
The removal of barbed wire on the border has been going on for about two to three weeks and videos about it are being shared on social media. The video, released last week, also features regular Afghan intelligence officials.
The first video and photos on Twitter show some Afghan security personnel carrying barbed wire and a large number of barbed wire lying on the ground. The makers of this video are saying to each other, "Bring the right wires, then the other person says that they have brought all the wires."
Afghan journalist Bilal Sarwari claimed in his tweet that the special forces were led by Taliban intelligence chief Dr Bashir. The tweet said that according to Afghan soldiers, these barbed wires have been installed inside Afghanistan.#AFG Taliban soldiers destroying fencing on the Durrand line , Southern Afghanistan. pic.twitter.com/k02Qmq7b3Q
— BILAL SARWARY (@bsarwary) January 1, 2022
People have expressed their views on social media.
Pakistan decided four years ago to erect a fence on the border to prevent illegal entry of militants and other criminals from Afghanistan.
After the attack on the Army Public School in Pakistan and other incidents of violence, the authorities said that most of the attackers enter Pakistan from Afghanistan and run away after carrying out operations here. Similarly, with regard to extortion, most police officials have been saying that most extortionists are present in Afghanistan and carry out these operations from there.
The border between Pakistan and Afghanistan is difficult and long and according to the officials it is a difficult task to constantly monitor it so fencing on this border will not allow people to cross the border illegally.
The Pak-Afghan border is about 2640 km long and includes long mountain ranges. According to official sources, billions of rupees have been allocated for the installation of this fence and under this project hundreds of small forts or outposts are being constructed for surveillance on the border and installation of modern radar system is also part of this project. Its purpose is to secure the country's borders.
Afghan officials have opposed the plan, saying it is not right to erect a fence on the border until the border dispute between the two countries has been resolved.
This is not the first time that a dispute has arisen over the Durand Line or the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, but it is a long-running one and both countries have their own positions.
Apparently, the border was established after an agreement was reached in 1893, when the subcontinent was under British rule, and this border agreement was signed between the King of Afghanistan, Amir Abdul Rehman, and the British official, Motimer Durand. It will be for a hundred years.