A tug of wire

Three separate incidents of sabotaging the Pak-Afghan border fence by Taliban fighters in at least three Afghan provinces bordering Pakistan in recent weeks suggest that the new rulers of Afghanistan disagree with the barrier that Islamabad has almost completed the construction of after nearly five years of hard work.

In the latest incident, a video clip shared on various social media platforms showed Taliban fighters removing the border fence in the Rigestan desert area of Afghanistan’s Nimroz province adjacent to Pakistan’s Balochistan province. The armed militiamen in the video alleged that Pakistan was erecting the fence well inside Afghan territory.

In another video a few days back, Nangarhar province’s intelligence chief, Dr Bashir (real name Basharmal) was seen observing the removal of the fence while aggressively challenging and threatening Pakistani forces, not visible in the video, of a serious outcome if they continued working on the construction of the remaining part of the fence.

Furthermore, also in recent days, there were other incidents of removal of the fence on the border of Kunar province. Here too, the Taliban fighters bordering the border with Pakistan alleged that Pakistan was constructing the fence in Afghan territory.

Originally planned in 2005, the border fence along the 2,600 kilometre-long Durand Line border between Pakistan and Afghanistan was seen as a solid way of countering terrorism, illegal immigration and the smuggling of narcotics and non-customs paid goods from Afghanistan into Pakistan.

However, the Pak-Afghan International Border Fencing project only started to become a reality in the spring of 2017, after a rapid increase in the frequency and intensity of terrorist attacks, particularly the deadliest terrorist attack in the history of Pakistan targeting innocent children in the Army Public School (APS) on December 16, 2014 in Peshawar, and another similar attack on the Bacha Khan University, Charsadda on January 20,  2016 by the Afghanistan-based outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP).

Targeting the border fence from the Afghan side is not a new phenomenon. Even before the Taliban took over the reins of power in Kabul, fencing was seen by many in Afghanistan as an attempt of making the Durand Line a permanent international border, something the Afghans have questioned for decades as they claim the issue is disputed and it needs a proper political solution. However, for Pakistan and the global community, Durand Line is the internationally recognised border.

But Afghan security forces have had many skirmishes with Pakistani border forces in the past, about the construction of the fence. Similarly, TTP militants hiding in Afghanistan’s Nangarhar, Kunar and Nuristan provinces have also targeted Pakistani personnel working on the fence time and again.

The Taliban too had developed issues with the Pakistani forces over fencing issues in the past. For instance, a conflict emerged between the Taliban and Pakistani security forces at Baramcha, in the Helmand province of Afghanistan some two years ago. It merits mentioning that Baramcha is often referred to as the golden route for narcotics-trafficking from Afghanistan into Pakistan, and onwards to the Middle East and European nations.

Seemingly, the Taliban have not formulated an agenda for the border dispute. But to many, it is not just an issue of fencing the border. They argue it is a matter of the people living close to the border on both sides. The Afghans often highlight the fact that the border and the fence are dividing families and tribes on either side.

Talking to Bol News, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA)-nominated Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Suhail Shaheen opined that the tension was temporary, and certainly not new. “These are just localised incidents; similar issues over the fencing have taken place on a number of occasions in the past as well. Although some circles are trying to depict it as a full-scale conflict between the two countries, I don’t think it will or should escalate any further. I believe both sides have serious and responsible people to solve this matter diplomatically,” Shaheen said.

Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj. General Babar Iftikhar told media on Wednesday that nearly 94 percent of the fence construction work had been completed and work was ongoing in the remaining section of the fence. “The purpose of the fence is not to divide, but rather to protect the people. It was a requirement to regulate security, border crossing and trade. The government of Pakistan was in contact with the Afghan government to resolve any issues that surfaced. Misunderstandings, spoilers, localised issues etc.will be resolved peacefully and carefully to ensure peace,” said Maj. Gen. Babar Iftikhar.

The DG added that despite challenging situations, 164 border forts and watchtowers were established on the Pak-Afghan border in 2021. “A total of 673 border forts and terminals have been completed to date. Pakistan has 1,200 border posts compared to 377 on the Afghan side. There is a distance of 7-8 kilometres between each post. However, Torkham, Khar Lachi, Ghulam Khan, Angoor Adda, Badini and Chaman border crossings are all open. Smuggling and narcotics have been countered efficiently,” he maintained.

Journalist and Afghan affairs expert Mushtaq Yusufzai in Peshawar believes the government of Pakistan showed a slow and late response in resolving the issue of attacks on the border fence. “I have seen the hard work done by the security forces in constructing the border fence. The hardest part is over and the fence is almost complete, but unlike with the Taliban administration, the need for a fence was made clear to the Afghan government in the past, and despite objections, they seemed to have agreed to its construction,” said Yusufzai.

Talking about the recent disputes, a Taliban elder said, on condition of anonymity since he was not authorised to speak to the media, that most Taliban did not accept any agreements, including any agreement on the border fence made by the previous Afghan government. “Accepting any of the past government’s agreements would mean we legitimize their rule. This was not the case with their agreements with the US or others, including agreements on the border fencing,” he claimed.

The source added that the Pakistani government too did not give any importance to discussing the matter with their government. “They probably believed they could continue working as they did with the past government. However, removing the fence by force was not the game-plan of the IEA government and we would prefer solving any such issues with dialogue,” he said while adding that the recent incidents were only confined to particular areas and there was no danger of further escalation.

Although small in number, the anti-Pakistan elements in Taliban ranks would welcome trouble with Pakistan. Filming the demolition of the fence by some Taliban fighters might be an attempt to calm down the increasing number of voices emanating from among the common Afghans who label the Taliban in control of the Pakistani authorities.

Despite attempts by anti-Pakistan elements to fuel the ongoing fencing issues, it is a known fact that the majority of the Taliban are determined to keep relations with Pakistan smooth as they know and recognise Pakistan’s efforts to help the war-ravaged country on the international stage.