ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said the country has begun building a fence on its disputed 2,500 km border with Afghanistan to prevent incursions by militants. Islamabad has often cited Pakistani Taliban militants based on Afghan soil, responsible for a spate of attacks at home in the recent past.
General Bajwa said initial fencing will focus on “high threat zones” of Bajaur and Mohmand agencies in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, which border eastern Afghan provinces of Nangarhar and Kunar. “Additional technical surveillance means are also being deployed along the border besides regular air surveillance,” the military said in a statement. Relations between Islamabad and Kabul have turned sour in recent years, with both countries accusing each other of not handling Pakistani and Afghan Taliban militants well.
Afghan has accused Pak of turning a blind eye to Afghan Taliban commanders on its soil, and even of supporting the militant group, something Islamabad vehemently denies. Bajwa said Pak was working on plans to “evolve a bilateral security mechanism” with Afghanistan. “A better managed, secure, and peaceful border is in mutual interest of both brotherly countries who have given phenomenal sacrifices in war against terrorism,” Bajwa added.
Pakistan has long harboured ambitions to seal its border, which is largely unpatrolled and mountainous for large chunks. In 2007, the military said it was fencing and mining a 35 km (22 miles) stretch of border in the North Waziristan region of FATA to prevent militants crisscrossing the rugged terrain. Efforts to establish a more permanent presence on the disputed frontier have angered Kabul. Last year, Pakistan's attempt to build a barrier on the main Torkham crossing ended in brief cross-border skirmishes
