BUILD THE FENCE: PAKISTAN RAMPS UP ITS BORDER SECURITY WITH AFGHANISTAN

In Blog
December 6, 2020
Mahnoor Islam
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Border security and its management plays a vital role in preventing and countering the flow of terrorists, cross-border movement of arms and other material that may be used for carrying out terror acts. Not only does an ineffective border harm inter-governmental relation but also hampers regional development initiatives, trade and safe and legal movement of

Border security and its management plays a vital role in preventing and countering the flow of terrorists, cross-border movement of arms and other material that may be used for carrying out terror acts. Not only does an ineffective border harm inter-governmental relation but also hampers regional development initiatives, trade and safe and legal movement of people.

Furthermore, UN Security Council Resolution 2396 (2017) also calls upon member states to strengthen their border security controls to curb the movement of foreign terrorist fighters, and address the threat they pose to the peace and security of the region.

In March 2017, Pakistan started fencing its 1600-mile long border with Afghanistan, to curb the movement of terrorists and militants between Afghanistan and Pakistan. This project which is due to finish this year has been successful in improving the internal security of Pakistan. The decision to fence the border stems from the need to control terrorism, and to dispel the international community’s perception of Pakistan as a state-sponsoring terrorism by providing safe haven to militant and terrorist groups from Afghanistan and Taliban.

Pakistan faces strong opposition from Afghanistan over the border fencing. Michael Kugelan, a South Asian analyst at the Wilson Center in Washington, D.C. says that there is a ‘territorial factor’ to Afghanistan’s stance. He says that ‘Kabul rejects the border wall because its very existence is seen by Afghanistan as a de facto legitimization of the Durand Line, which Afghanistan has never accepted.”

However, during the recent visit of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to Afghanistan, the leaders of both states expressed the need to end violence on both sides of the border. Furthermore, during his visit to Pakistan, Abdullah Abdullah, Afghanistan’s Chief Peace Envoy urged Pakistan to use its military to pressure the Taliban into curbing its terror activities. This may be seen as a tacit approval of the border fencing.

Ramping up its border security is essential for Pakistan to not only curb terrorism and address its national security concerns, but also to improve its diplomatic relations with other major regional powers, protect its sovereignty, and provides opportunity for economic development. Pakistan’s situation with FATF may also be improved as through border fencing, as flow of financial and technical aid to terror groups will effectively be disrupted. Terrorism has greatly impacted Pakistan’s economy, and with border fencing and ensuring its effective management, the country might see a stable economy prosper.

Furthermore, Pakistan’s move towards improving its border security has been met with appreciation by the international community, in particular the US. Alice Well, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs praised Pakistan’s actions to curb the movement of militant groups and provision of aid to them through tighter border security controls.

Moreover, US Special Representative for Afghan Reconciliation Ambassador, Zalmay Khalilzad in his recent visit to Pakistan also appreciated Pakistan’s efforts towards facilitating peace in the region with reference being made towards Pakistan’s improved border security and management.

The next step for Pakistan now remains to be ensuring effective maintenance and management of the fence in question. Certain diplomats have raised concerns over the same and questioned the practicality of the fence without technical assistance to ensure the border is not breached. While the military claims that the fence has been fortified with intrusion detection system and border forts, how effective they will prove in the long run remains to be seen.