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| India-Pakistan |
| Pakistan moves ahead on border fence over Afghan objections |
| 2017-06-21 |
| [AlAhram] Pakistain said Tuesday that it will soon begin building a fence along its border with Afghanistan to improve security, a move that has angered authorities in Kabul. The two nations are divided by the 2,400-kilometer Durand Line, drawn by British rulers in 1896. Kabul does not recognize it as an international border, causing friction between the two neighbors, with Pakistain suggesting Afghanistan has designs on part of its territory. The line runs through ethnic Pashtun territory, dividing families and tribes between the two countries. A Mighty Pak Army statement said the first phase of the project will focus on the Bajur, Mohmand and Khyber tribal regions -- all regarded by authorities as areas prone to cross-border infiltration by bully boys. The military said it will also build new forts and border posts to improve surveillance and defensibility. It said a secure border is in interest of both countries and a well-coordinated security mechanism is essential for peace and stability. Afghanistan and Pakistain have long accused each other of turning a blind eye to bully boyz operating along their porous frontier, but Afghanistan is opposed to the building of the fence. "Pakistain has no right to fence or construct any building along the border with Afghanistan," said Najib Danish, deputy front man for Afghanistan's Interior Ministry. He warned of retaliatory action, referring to previous firefights that erupted when Pakistain sought to build border fortifications. "In the past also Pakistain made a mistake by constructing buildings along the border and faced strong reaction from us. We hope they don't repeat such mistakes once again," he said. |
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