Pakistan has to build wall or
create fence on the Afghan border, come what may. There is no other option for
Islamabad in order to achieve peace on its western border. According to Gen
Ehsan-ul-Haq, former CJSC and ISI chief, a country that has its borders secured
can have its internal situation controlled. His advice to the Pakistan
leadership was that the fencing work at the Pak-Afghan border must be completed
as early as possible. Without that the dream of bringing peace in the country
would never be materialized.
President Ashraf Ghani’s hostile statements during the Warsaw Summit and for
engaging NATO once again in Afghanistan are reflective of the poor performance
of the Kabul regime and increasing influence of inimical elements that instigate
Kabul to declare Pakistan an enemy state. Already the United States government
is trying hard to pull Pakistan out of ‘friendly countries’ list and ask it to
declare “either it is a friend or foe”. The timing of Indian hostilities in
Kashmir is not without a reason. It means there is something cooking up.
This is also in the wake of the tense situation at the busy Torkham border
crossing, and the main gate there was still closed after the border clash,
leaving everyday thousands of travelers stranded on both sides. Pakistan border
forces were constructing a gate on their own side to effectively deter
terrorists and other illegal movements when Afghan security forces resorted to
unprovoked cross-border firing. A Pakistan Army officer and two Afghan soldiers
died, while at least 30 people were wounded on both sides.
Pakistan is hosting five million Afghan refugees from past three decades and
Pakistanis have never hurt them living here as our own citizens and they are
enjoying all perks with full citizen rights. Certain countries are encouraging
Afghan Armed Forces to attack Pakistani troops at Torkham border and firing
initiated by Afghan forces at Torkham Check post confirmed that Kabul was not
ready to support Pakistan to stop entry of terrorists from Afghanistan.
Afghanistan and Pakistan share values and ethnic and linguistic connection.
There are external factors which don’t want to see Pakistan and Afghanistan
cooperation getting stronger.
Pakistan is blamed for almost everything; even when Afghan security forces and
NATO fail to control Taliban attacks. There is trust deficit between the two
states. It is unfortunate to say the least that Kabul never has reciprocated
what Pakistan has done for Afghans. Pakistan hosted the first round of talks
between Taliban and Afghan government after several requests from the US and
Chinese governments, Pakistan’s role was appreciated widely. Pakistan wants a
stable Afghanistan. Pakistan has been engaged in sincere and consistent efforts
for promoting peace and reconciliation through an Afghan-owned and Afghan-led
peace but in the end is being blamed for not putting much effort.
Negative statements about Pakistan emanating from Afghanistan tend to impede the
constructive bilateral engagement. There should be a wide range of discussion
between Pakistan and Afghanistan at all levels.It is in the interest of all
ethnic groups to find a common ground for power sharing to make Afghanistan
peaceful, which is also in the interest of Pakistan, and the region at large.
Pakistan is willing to cooperate and it denies claims of interference in
Afghanistan and says it wants to facilitate the peace process. It is easy for
Afghan officials to put the blame of their country's failure on Pakistan.Torkham
crisis fits into a wider picture. With millions of people living in displacement
for years, sometimes decades, within or outside Afghanistan’s borders, the
situation is obviously not a humanitarian crisis anymore.
Pakistan Army’s Operation Zarb-e-Azb has been a huge success in bringing down
terrorism throughout the country. The military destroyed 837 terrorist hideouts
in North Waziristan, recovered and destroyed 253 tons of explosives, captured
18,087 weapons, conducted 9,000 intelligence-based operations and killed 2,763
militants, at the cost of 347 officers and soldiers. Then there was a National
Action Plan according to which the financiers and suppliers of terrorism were to
be dealt with, it started after the Peshawar school incident, when people
question the success of the operation, little do they know that if there was no
decline in terrorism than the country would have been facing major security
issues, Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have detoriated in the past
and even now as Afghanistan blames Pakistan for whatever happens in their own
country.
At the same time Pakistan faces criticism internally as well when Pakistan
handed over the contentious Angoor Adda border crossing in South Waziristan to
Afghan authorities, it was a move to improve bilateral relations b/w the two
countries. The motion was to bring momentum, stability and peace between the
countries. It was a bone of contention between the two countries ever since it
was built by the two. Some people thought that would not accept Pakistan’s
decision of handling them and their villages to Afghanistan without their
consent. Pakistan has, on a number of occasions, floated proposals to better
manage its border with Afghanistan to curb illegal movement into either country.
The cross-border movement of militants is one of the major points of contention
in the Pak-Afghan relations. The move taken to hande over the Angoor Ada was
done to improve border management.”
Remote Angoor Adda area has experienced a number of border incidents involving
an exchange of fire between Afghan and Pakistani forces in the past. The border
crossing had to be closed on certain occasions due to the tension between the
two sides. On both sides of the border, most people belong to the Ahmedzai Wazir
tribe. Recently a petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against
the handing over of Angoor Adda checkpost to the Afghan government, which the
petitioner maintained was an offence under section 24 of the Pakistan Army Act (PAA)
1952 which states that delivering any garrison, fortress, airfield, place, post
or guard is punishable under PAA.
The decision was taken after Afghan ambassador to Pakistan Omar Zakhilwal and
Army chief General Raheel Sharif agreed during a meeting to resume routine and
border traffic at Torkham border. As we know the cross-border movement of
militants is one of the major sticking points in the Pak-Afghan relations. We
should know that whatever decision has been taken, it’s with the consultation of
both states, and Illegal crossing of border is a main contributor in terrorist
activities in Pakistan. The step was taken by Pak Army to control the exit and
entry, and is likely to pave an easy way for both countries to collectively curb
illegal border crossing. (ENDS)