Pakistan has finally told the interim government of Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (IEA) to restrain its lower ranking officials involved in dismantling and damaging the fence over Pak-Afghan border — the Durand Line
And that Pakistan was observing “maximum restraint” to avoid any escalation
There were incidents (18th December along eastern province of Nangarhar and thereafter) where ‘some’ local Taliban soldiers (reportedly including a local intelligence chief) tried to remove the fence
And as per Kabul News, Afghan defence ministry spokesperson Enayatullah Khwarazmi also dubbed the fencing as divisive for the families on both sides of the border
However, Mr Soahil Shaheen, the IEA representative-designate to the UN, downplayed the incidents as localised
Before we jump to any conclusions, the issue ‘border’ and ‘fence’ should be seen in context
The ‘fence’ — as affected people on either side claim — divides families, restraining the centuries’ old ‘easement rights’ under which population of some 17 tribes could move freely across from either side
The fence has also hit at smugglers’ profits, whose trade has nosedived after its erection
Most border areas had smuggler-owned/operated smuggling/trade routes where toll was also collected by them
Fence is not popular especially with the Afghans, given their repeated claims that British India and later the Pakistani state had encroached upon the Afghan territory ‘to improve posture’
In the cited incidents, the local Taliban commanders had provoked Pakistani border forces on their own, with no authorisation from Kabul
IEA itself remains worried about the conduct of their rank and file
Its leadership understands the importance of Pakistan-Afghan relations at this critical juncture, when Pakistan is their sole and only ally and interlocutor
Any such provocations could also be at the behest of other stakeholders like India, the underground cadre of ANSF, NDS — the erstwhile Afghan Intelligence Agency — and many others, who see a benefit in creating a rift in Pak-Afghan ties
IEA still does not have its footing given its involvement on multiple fronts
From Afghan standpoint, fencing of around 2600-kilometre-long and rugged border, that is 90 per cent complete, has remained contentious
Kabul claims that British India had unilaterally imposed the line drawn by Sir Henry Mortimer Durand (1850-1924) in and after 1893, on Amir Abdurrahman (ruled 1880-1901)
From Pakistan’s point of view, the fence is important to regulate movement of people on both sides of the border, just like any land borders anywhere
Fence is important to stop the unchecked movement of terrorist elements on both sides
Fence-erection remained central in Pakistan’s reply to the ubiquitous chorus of ‘do more’ by the US/NATO
And fence has considerably reduced smuggling under the Afghan-Pakistan Transit Trade Agreement
As of 31 December, “Both sides have reached an understanding not to escalate the situation,” and “Afghan side was requested to coordinate border alignment before fixing the fence,” as per a Pakistani official
The acting Afghan defence minister, Mullah Yaqub, son of Mullah Omar, directed local Taliban commanders to avoid a repeat, during visit to the area
Historically, the ‘Durand Line’ was a “mutually agreed border” between two sovereign countries, after some “procrastination” by Amir Abdurrehman, who called the work of the Durand Commission “a thing which must take place, but at the proper time
” Durand traveled to Afghanistan with no escort, and was received at Landi Khana (near Landi Kotal) by none other than Ghulam Haidar Charkhi, the Afghan Army Commander-in-Chief, in October 1893
In Kabul, the British party was given a 21-gun salute with a band playing “God save the Queen”
Since Amir was capturing territories from Russia and British India in North-East and South-East respectively that once belonged to Afghanistan, both these governments pressed for boundary demarcation
Amir’s ‘procrastination’ was motivated by more land grab before formal agreements
Internally, Durand’s primary goal was to “acquaint the Amir” about the Russian threat through a weakened Afghanistan, then a “gateway” to British India, the “crown-jewel”
The Amir received a subsidy of Rs12 lakh from the British government
The Russians, on the other hand, aimed to elicit British pressure on Amir to retreat from territories (in Badakhshan) that bordered Czarist Russia
The Amir, on the other hand — fearful of territorial loss to British India — desired to “have a wall around his country”
However, during negotiations, he lost almost all territorial claims to the Commission except Kafiristan; given to Afghanistan being “miserably poor”, strategically difficult in location and governance
Amir accepted, as he intended to convert Kafirs for domestic political gains
The Amir was also made to hold Wakhan Corridor in return for Rs6 lakh, additional to his subsidy
Without going into details; the wily British were able to enact a most favourable agreement for British India, to create an ‘Afghan buffer’ that avoided direct border and conflict with a stronger Russia
But the fact remains that the Amir signed the Agreement of his free will on 12 November 1893 and ratified it the very next day in a public Durbar of some 400 Afghan nobles and notables
Physical demarcation of the Line drawn on a questionable map started in February 1894 by three joint Afghan-British parties
Demarcation was widely resisted in Waziristan and elsewhere, as both sides had no ‘geographer’ available during negotiations to assess the Boundary’s demographic and ethnolinguistic accuracy and implications
However, the Afghan desire, if any, to revisit the 128 years’ old status quo is not tenable under international law; as 50 nations during Afghan occupation (2001-2021) treated Durand Line as an international border
For Pakistan, remaining sensitive to the Afghan predicament and focusing on the larger geo-strategic advantage that the IEA ascent to power brings to Pakistan are important
Larger opportunities should never be squandered by petty, emotive and smaller issues
Local spoilers, as identified, should be effectively neutralised
A joint Pak-Afghan Border Commission should mutually decide any difference of opinion over local demarcation, ‘if inevitable’
There are many who would like to impose a failure on the IEA, sow instability, suck Pakistan in and continue fishing in the troubled waters
IEA also needs to beware, assert itself and restrain its unwitting rank and file
Pakistan should stay the course affably with Afghanistan, even if the fence has ‘seemingly’ lost its significance and purpose in an emerging and altered geo-strategic construct
Tajik-dominated ANSF is dissolved, Pashtun-dominated IEA is a reality
Debate to continue
Published in The Express Tribune, January 6th, 2022
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| Date: | 07-Jan-2022 | Reference: | View Original Link |
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