Relations with Pakistan have been tested over the building of a military gate on the Afghan side by Pakistan. There have been protests in Afghanistan. President Hamid Karzai has taken a tough stance.
Relations with Pakistan have been tested over the building of a military gate on the Afghan side by Pakistan. There have been protests in Afghanistan. President Hamid Karzai has taken a tough stance.“Establishing a gate by Pakistan inside Afghanistan is against all international norms,” Afghan Defence Ministry spokesman General Zahir Azimi told reporters in Kabul on April 15. A day earlier President Karzai had issued a statement ordering his top officials to take immediate action to remove the gate.
The strong reaction was probably never expected by the Pakistan Defence Ministry, which shelved the plan after a meeting of Pakistani and Afghan military officials in Rawalpindi.
The Durand Line is the border drawn in 1893 by the British colonial rulers of then undivided India. It is not recognised as an international border by Afghanistan. The Afghan government has been clear that both countries must approve any activity on either side of the line.
The Afghan Defence Ministry and International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) have reviewed the situation. Defence Ministry spokesman and ISAF spokesperson Gunter Katz held a joint press conference. Katz said, “ISAF takes seriously the border (problems) considering their strategic impact on the region.” He assured the media that ISAF was assessing the situation in the frontier areas.
But there are misgivings about ISAF’s objectivity on the issue. That ISAF has done nothing in the face of Pakistan’s shifting positions on the border to defend Afghanistan’s national prestige. Instead of repelling Pakistan intrusion it has downplayed events to defend Pakistan.
Shifting border
A statement issued by the president’s office has questioned NATO’s assistance to Pakistan to set up a military base in Afghanistan ten years ago. Ammunition and military forces were placed in the post. The Afghan government has sought clarity on the issue from coalition forces in Afghanistan.
According to the statement from the president’s office, “The Pakistan side has moved 11 frontier posts ahead of their previous positions in Mohmand Agency to Gawsari area of Nangarhar province along the Durand line through the help of international coalition forces in 2003.”
The ball is in ISAF’s court. If it fails to take concrete action it would be seen as acting against the interests of Afghanistan.
The Afghan government has been beefing up security on its border areas, particularly in the north – a short-term strategy from a military viewpoint.
Head of the Afghan transition commission Dr Ashraf Ghani Ahmadzai on a visit to Balkh urged the governor, Ata Mohammad Noor, to strengthen border security. “Most security breaches take place on the border so there is need to strengthen the frontier security forces.” He added, “Afghan security forces have the capacity to defend their country, they have become stronger now.”
There is agreement that disputes cannot be solved by violent means, and due caution must be exercised.
Shukria Barakzai, Member of Parliament (MP) and head of the parliamentary defence commission says the government failed to stop the establishment of military posts. “The issue is more serious now that Pakistan has advanced the posts. It should be solved through negotiations,” she advised.
MP Sarwar Osmani described Pakistan’s stance as against the principles of good neighbourliness. Political analyst Abdul Ghafoor Lewal accused Pakistan of trying to weaken and interfere in Afghanistan. Hundreds of students from Nangarhar University protested the building of a military gate.
Military expert Jawed Kohistani does not see an amicable solution. “Afghanistan could get drawn into a new war with Pakistan,” he warned. “The government must exercise caution and not get swayed by emotion,” he added.
