Pakistan Takes Unilateral Steps toward Afghan Border Security

Pakistan has established nearly 1,000 posts along the Durand Line. Pakistani officials claim that they find it necessary to build a fence along its long porous border with Afghanistan because of lack of cooperation from authorities in Kabul. They claim the move would increase the monitoring of millions of Afghan refugees living in Pakistan. Speaking at an international conference in Islamabad this week, Pakistan Army spokesman Major-General Asif Ghafoor said that the military has deployed over 200,000 troops along the border and established nearly 1,000 posts while Afghans have maintained just over 200 outposts. According to VOA, Pakistan also accuses rival India of using growing influence within Afghan security institutions to destabilise Kabul’s ties with Islamabad, accusations Afghan and Indian officials deny.