Daily Times

In an act of unprovoked aggression and a clear violation of Pakistan’s border, seven people have been injured in Pakistan across the Afghan border near Kurram district on Sunday, including two children, who sustained severe injuries. The border continues to be one of the most contentious issues for the two countries, leading to fatalities on both sides. Since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, cross-border attacks against Pakistani security forces have increased exponentially. In response, Pakistan ordered retaliatory airstrikes into Afghan territory; resulting in even more chaos. The government has been forced to adopt a hardline stance because it has exhausted all other options. However, whether this lethal force would do anything to neutralise the Taliban’s regime remains to be seen.

In 2016, Pakistan installed new border initiatives for “facilitating cross-border movement,” including the construction of a gate at the Torkham crossing as part of its National Action Plan to curb terrorism. The Afghan authorities were aggrieved by this, resorting to unprovoked firing which resulted in the death of Major Jawad Ali Changezi. Tensions escalated as the two countries deployed additional troops along the border. The Durand Line continues to be heavily disputed-its legal status has never been recognised by a single Afghan government or insurgent groups operating in the area. For too long, the border has been used by militant groups who move freely across it by exploiting transit trade agreements.

Tensions between the two countries come at a critical juncture-Pakistan is already facing tremendous opposition for its diplomatic recognition of the Taliban’s regime but has not been able to assuage its controversial ally, whose militants have long found a safe haven in the Afghan border. The border is also home to other dangerous groups such as Hafiz Gul Bahadur, closely affiliated with al-Qaeda and the Haqqani network. The Taliban’s regime in Afghanistan has also emboldened previously dormant factions of the TTP to reunite and indeed, the country is already witnessing a resurgence of terrorist activity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Pakistan must find a way to regulate its border with the increasingly rogue Afghanistan-constant confrontation will only make matters worse. In this regard, the country must reaffirm its commitment to modernising the border and take preventative security measures against insurgence in the area. Both countries require a comprehensive framework for border management to improve the flow of trade without compromising the region’s security. Pakistan must exercise its right to defend the Durand Line regardless of the Afghan state’s recognition of it. *