Afghanistan–Pakistan barrier

The Afghanistan–Pakistan barrier refers to the border barrier being built by Pakistan along its border with Afghanistan, otherwise known as the Durand Line. The purpose of barrier is to prevent terrorism, smuggling, illegal immigration and infiltrations across the approximately 2,640-kilometre-long (1,640 mi) international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.[3] Major-General Shaukat Sultan, a former Pakistani military spokesman, said the move was necessary to block the infiltration of militants across the border into Pakistan.[4] The initially proposed fortifications and fence, about 2,400 km (1,500 mi) in length, was backed by the United States in 2005.[5] Construction on the border barrier unilaterally began in March 2017 following a series of deadly and costly clashes between Pakistani security forces and Afghan-aligned militants in Pakistan's tribal areas that greatly intensified hostilities in the War in North-West Pakistan.[6]

Durand Line Barrier
ڈیورنڈ لائن رکاوٹ
Fortification in  Afghanistan,  Pakistan
TypeBorder barrier
Height4 metres (13 ft)[1]
Length2,640 km (1,640 mi)[2]
Site information
Owner Government of Pakistan
OperatorMinistry of Interior
Controlled by
ConditionUnder construction; partly operational
Site history
Built24 March 2017 – 01 January 2021
Built by Pakistan
In use2017–present
MaterialsRazor wire, steel, landmines
Battles/wars

As of January 2019, about 900 km (560 mi) of fortifications and fencing have been constructed.[7] The Afghanistan–Pakistan border is marked by 235 crossing points, many of which had been susceptible to illegal immigration and cross-border infiltrations. More importantly, it is designed to impede the Afghan Taliban and Pakistani Taliban from freely crossing the porous border to coordinate and launch attacks against the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan and evade authorities on either side. Despite the two Taliban organizations claiming to be completely separate from each other, Afghan Taliban leaders have been found operating from Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan and Pakistani Taliban leaders have been found hiding from Pakistani law enforcement in Afghanistan while systemically coordinating a joint militant network with their Afghan counterparts. The project is predicted to cost at least $532 million.[8] The ISPR noted in 01 January 2021 that the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan had been fully fenced.

Initial fencing plans

In September 2005, Pakistan stated it had plans to build a 2,400-kilometre (1,500 mi) fence along its border (known as the Durand Line) with Afghanistan to prevent insurgents and drug smugglers slipping between the two countries. Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf subsequently presented the prospect of mining the entire border as well. Despite the statements, no formal plan was finalized due to varying concerns and lack of consensus[9][10]

The plans to fence and mine the border were again considered in 2007 and then in 2009, but not implemented. However, a 35-kilometre-long (22 mi) portion along selected border areas was fenced shortly after the idea resurfaced, following which work was discontinued due to a lack of funds.[11] In June 2011, Major-General Athar Abbas, the then−spokesman of the Pakistan Army said: "We did fence around 35km of the border area as it faced continuous militant incursions. It was a joint project [with] ISAF and Afghanistan. But then they backed out. It was a very costly project."[12] During the Musharraf administration, Pakistan began to install biometric systems on all Durand Line border crossings. Afghanistan strongly objected to the system's installation while also continuing to protest Pakistan's fortification projects along the border. The biometric system network remains intact throughout the border's crossing points, although it is yet to be completed and made fully operational.[13]

Afghan opposition and Durand Line dispute
Main article: Afghanistan–Pakistan skirmishes

Pakistani plans for fortifying, fencing and mining the border were renewed on 26 December 2006, but these plans were opposed by the Afghan government, citing that the fencing would result in "the limitation of the freedom of movement of tribal peoples".[14] Due to Afghanistan's fierce opposition to the border fencing, the Angur Ada and Sheken areas saw a series of armed border skirmishes that resulted in cross−border artillery strikes launched by Pakistan in April 2007.[15] On 1 April 2013, the Afghan Foreign Ministry formally protested and raised "grave concerns" over what it called "the Pakistani military's unilateral construction and physical reinforcement activities along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border in eastern Nangarhar province".[16]

The widely perceived consensus in Afghanistan for non−recognition of the Durand Line as a legitimate border between Afghanistan and Pakistan largely stems from "historic" Afghan claims[17] over Pakistan's provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and (to some extent) Balochistan, which are perceived to be dividing the ethnic homeland of the Pashtuns (a group native to and a majority in Afghanistan) in half.[18][19][20][21] Afghanistan contends that the installation of a physical barrier of the nature that is being built by Pakistan would make this border more or less permanent. Afghanistan's territorial claims over Pakistani-administered land across the Durand Line is internationally unrecognized, as all United Nations member states recognize the Durand Line as Pakistan's undisputed western border with Afghanistan and Iran, the latter of which does not have any territorial claims or border disputes with Pakistan.[22]

Construction progress and trenches

In June 2016, after three years of construction, Pakistan completed a 1,100 km (680 mi) trench along its border with Afghanistan from Balochistan to ensure proper border management.[23] The initial excavation was largely carried out by the paramilitary Frontier Corps. The purpose of the trench is to tighten border security and create more favourable conditions for Pakistani security forces responsible for patrolling the border by deterring and restricting the flow of unauthorized entities, such as narcotics, militants, smugglers and general illegal movements of Afghan civilians or refugees.[13] Three private construction companies out of Pakistan's Balochistan province were contracted to supply manpower and oversee the arrangement of necessary equipment. The 4-metre-deep (13 ft) and 5-metre-wide (16 ft) trench is planned to be extended along the whole border.[24]

See also

References
  1. "Durand Line". www.globalsecurity.org. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  2. Society, National Geographic (2011-01-21). "The Durand Line". National Geographic Society. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  3. Rahi, Arwin (21 February 2014). "Why the Durand Line Matters". The Diplomat. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  4. "Afghanistan-Pakistan: Focus on bilateral border dispute". IRIN. 30 October 2003. Archived from the original on 2014-07-25. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  5. "US backs Pakistani-Afghan border fence". The Guardian. 14 September 2005. Archived from the original on 2014-07-25. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  6. "The significance of Pak-Afghan border fencing". Weekly Cutting Edge. 2020-03-16. Retrieved 2020-09-11.
  7. "'Trump-style wall': Pakistan building wall on Afghan border". Al Jazeera. 29 January 2019. Retrieved January 30, 2019.
  8. Dilawar, Ismail; Haider, Kamran (1 November 2017). "The Fence Driving a Wedge Between Pakistan and Afghanistan". Bloomberg. Retrieved 6 November 2017.
  9. "Pakistan doing all it can in terror war - Musharraf". Turkish weekly. February 28, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-10-09. Retrieved 2006-12-03. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said on Monday his country was doing all it could in the U.S.-led war against terrorism and offered to fence and mine its border with Afghanistan to stem Taliban infiltration. "I have been telling Karzai and the United States, 'Let us fence the border and let us mine it.' Today I say it again. Let us mine their entire border. Let us fence it. It's not difficult", Musharraf said, referring to Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
  10. Plett, Barbara (March 1, 2006). "Musharraf interview: Full transcript". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-12-03. Now the other thing that I've said: if he thinks everyone is crossing from here, I've been saying let us fence the border and let us also mine the border. We are experts at mining, they should mine the border on their side. We will fence it on our side. If that is all right I am for it, so that they are not allowed to go across at all. And then let us see what is happening in Afghanistan. Why don't they agree to this, I've said this openly many times before, they don't do it, for whatever are their reasons. I know how effective the fence, the Indian fence which is about 1,800 kilometres, and they are fencing the Kashmir mountains also, it is so difficult. Why are they doing that, are they mad, they are spending billions of rupees. Because it is effective. Let's fence this border so that this blame game is killed once for ever.
  11. "Pakistan to mine, fence Afghan border". The Nation. June 24, 2011. Archived from the original on 2014-07-25. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  12. "Plan to fence, mine Afghan border". The Nation. June 23, 2011. Archived from the original on 2014-07-25. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  13. Shah, Syed Ali (13 September 2014). "Trench dug at Pak-Afghan border to stop infiltration of terrorists". Dawn. Retrieved 13 September 2014.
  14. "Pakistan to mine and fence Afghan border". Financial Times. December 27, 2006. Archived from the original on 2014-07-25. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  15. "Clash erupts between Afghan, Pakistani forces over border fence". Monsters and Critics. April 20, 2007. Archived from the original on January 23, 2013. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  16. "Afghanistan protests Pakistan's border 'construction, physical reinforcement'". The Express Tribune. April 1, 2013. Archived from the original on 2014-07-25. Retrieved July 25, 2014.
  17. "Historic Afghan claims" does not imply that the modern-day Islamic Republic of Afghanistan's government claims the Pakistani provinces of Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in their entirety as most countries would in an international dispute, but rather that there is a more popular and stronger historical connection of these provinces to Afghanistan than India (out of which Pakistan was partitioned). The Afghan government has not explicitly outlined any territorial claims (of the nature you would find in the Kashmir conflict, as an example) but has disputed (although some Afghan officials have gone as far as calling for its abolishment entirely) the Durand Line as it currently stands, with the justification that it "unjustly" divides the ethnic Pashtun population.
  18. "Karzai Orders Removal Of Pakistani Border Gate". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. 13 April 2013. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  19. Notezai, Muhammad Akbar. "Balochistan's Role in the Afghanistan Quagmire". thediplomat.com. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  20. Contributors. "Yes, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa belongs to Afghans". Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  21. "Afghanistan's Long Ignored Second Front in Balochistan". Atlantic Council. 2017-06-01. Retrieved 2020-09-14.
  22. "Pakistan progress on Afghan fence". BBC. 10 May 2007. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  23. Qaiser Butt (June 20, 2016). "1,100km trench built alongside Pak-Afghan border in Balochistan". The Express Tribune. Retrieved June 21, 2016.
  24. "Cross-border movement: Ditch along Pak-Afghan border to cost Rs14 billion". The Express Tribune. January 3, 2015. Archived from the original on 2015-01-03. Retrieved January 3, 2015.
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