A day after Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed the confidence that the issue of border fencing will be sorted out through discussions and dialogue with the Afghan authorities, the Taliban Government said on Tuesday that issues related to the fencing would be addressed through diplomatic channels.
Taking to Twitter, Taliban Foreign Ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said: “Recently, a few incidents have taken place along the Durand Line between Afghanistan and Pakistan that have given rise to the need for the authorities of the two sides to address the problem.”
This is a welcome statement and augurs well for amicable settlement of the differences that are being blown out of proportion by ‘certain miscreants’ in their bid to sow seeds of hatred and differences between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
The border fencing is not a new initiative as work on the project is continuing for several years and it is now nearing completion. It is not aimed at ‘land grabbing’ but checking illegal border crossings and rampant smuggling of goods and narcotics trade that is ruining Pakistan’s economy.
Afghans, who are very sensitive to the issue of their sovereignty, should have wholeheartedly welcomed the project as it formalizes the border between the two independent countries and serves as a check against free for all (even without documentation) movements across the international border.
However, some vested interests are misinterpreting the project to serve their personal or group interests but at the cost of goodwill between the two countries.
There was absolutely no justification for Taliban to stop the work forcibly and objections, if any, should have been raised through a variety of channels available to the two countries. The contention of Zabiullah Mujahid that the fencing amounts to dividing a nation is childish and casts aspersions on Taliban’s intentions about respect for the international border.
We hope the issue would be taken up and sorted out on a priority basis by the two sides so that manipulators are not allowed to harm otherwise friendly bilateral relations.
