By Tariq Rizwan
The recent armed clashes
between Afghan and Pakistani LEAs commenced due to some misunderstanding
between the two sides at Torkham border (Khyber Agency) area. Now since the
guns are silent, the rift proved to be a provoked act and temporary; didn’t
last long. Pashtun community is living on both sides of ‘Durand Line - DL’. The
community has almost common bonds supported by their tribal traditions. They
cannot be separated through borders but can be strengthened through border
management and smooth but legalized trade. The clashes started on Sunday, 12
June, 2016, when Pakistani side resumed construction work on the already agreed
Torkham Gate as part of managing roughly 2600 kms long porous DL and to
block the entry of terrorists from across the border. Both sides held one
another responsible for starting the fire. The two sides agreed on 15 June
later in a meeting between Afghan Ambassador Omar Zakhilwal with Chief of
General Staff Lt Gen Zubair Mehmood Hayat in Rawalpindi on de-escalation of
tension followed by Afghan Foreign Office delegation’s visit to Islamabad
headed by Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister. In the wake of their meeting with
Pakistani side in Islamabad and agreeing to sort out all border issues through
bilateral talks, a relative calm was witnessed on the border. Hundreds of goods
trucks carrying perishable food items remained stranded on border for days. The
clashes resulted into killing of Pakistan Major Ali Jawad Changezi and four
Afghan soldiers apart from dozens of other injured on both sides.
The DL agreement was signed between Amir Abdu Rehman of
Afghanistan and Sir Mortimer Durand, the British Viceroy of India in 1893.
It is a single-page agreement containing seven short articles, was signed
not to interfere in one anothers’ domain. Pakistan inherited the Durand Line
agreement after its independence in 1947. Though Pashtuns specially
on Afghan side remained reluctant to accept DL as a permanent border between
the two countries as revealed by former Afghan President Hamid Karzai recently y saying that "A line of hatred that raised a wall
between the two brothers". Indeed, this porous border has always served as
main trade route between Islamabad and Kabul.
In 2003-4, it was for the first time that the enemies of Pakistan
and Afghanistan tried to exploit the situation that DL agreement has already
completed 100 years and became an obsolete one. However, the created
misperception among the Afghans was cleared once for all when the original
copy, where there is no mention of hundred years, was shown to them. The recent
clash seemed to be an attempt to dispute the issue again, while sensitivity of
time when both sides are engaged in readjustments and managing border movements
on DL in Angor Adda (South Waziristan) and Torkham border (Khyber Agency)
areas. It was reported that Afghan side received necessary information and
guidelines from the Indian Embassies in Kabul and Islamabad to tackle the
issue. Hence, it is sure hundred percent and plus that it was a provoked act on
Afghan side to dispute DL and use it as tactic to reunite Afghan nation at the
cost of Pak - Afghan friendship and Pashtuns unity. More importantly, the enemy
was aimed to destabilize the region and delay ground work on CPEC.
Pakistani Foreign Office
and Defence Minister Khwaja Asif while briefing National Assembly session on 14
June played down the recent skirmishes as war rather termed it as ‘instigated
by enemies’. It was urged to improve border management and control on
Pak-Afghan border after mutual understanding with Kabul. Khwaja Asif said “We
have no dispute with Afghanistan. The enemies of Pakistan do not want it to
progress neither do they want it to live in peace with Afghanistan and they are
playing an effective role in doing just that.”
Foreign Policy adviser,
Mr Sartaj Aziz also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to complete
construction of a transit terminal at the Torkham border, terming it a part of
the plan to “strengthen border control and regulate cross-border movements”. He
said the border gate is being constructed 37 metres inside the Pakistani border
as per international law.
Relations between the two countries have been subject to various
complexities over the past few decades. Misunderstanding between the two sides
on issues like DL, former Mujahideen, Afghan refugees, Taliban, water disputes, trade
and it all resulted into Kabul’s tilt towards India. Afghanistan was the first
country to oppose Pakistan’s membership in UN and instigated conspiracies like
Pashtunistan issues and harbor terrorist groups like Al Zulfiqar and Baloch
Liberation Army. Likewise Kabul has been accusing Islamabad of aiding the
former Mujahideen and Taliban groups. Pakistan and Afghanistan enjoy tremendous
geo strategic importance being a gateway to Central Asia and China linking both
to the Indian Ocean, Arabian Sea and oil rich Middle East. Both are working
together to find amicable solution to the issues. Southern and eastern
Afghanistan is predominately a Pashto-speaking region. This
entire area is inhabited by the indigenous Pashtuns
who belong to different Pashtun tribes and
clans living on both sides of the ‘Durand Line’. Pashtuns were known
historically as ethnic Afghans (and as Pathans in
southern Asia) and have lived in this region for thousands of years, since at
least the 1st millennium BC.
Indeed, the last one decade ushered an era of cooperation and
understanding between the two sides which is pre requisite for the development
of the region. In July 2010, a Memorandum of understanding (MoU) was reached between Pakistan and Afghanistan for the
APTTA, observed by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The two states also signed an MoU for the construction of rail tracks in Afghanistan to connect with Pakistan Railways (PR), which
has been in the making. In October 2010, the landmark APTTA agreement was
signed by Pakistani Commerce Minister and Afghan Ministry of Commerce. The ceremony was attended by Richard Holbrooke,
U.S. Special Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, and a number of
foreign ambassadors, Afghan parliamentarians and senior officials. The APTTA
allows Afghan trucks to drive from Pakistani Ports to Kabul via Wagah border with India
In November 2010, the two states formed a joint chamber of commerce to expand trade relations and solve the traders’ problems.
In July 2012, Afghanistan and Pakistan agreed to extend APTTA to Tajikistan in what will be the first step for the establishment of a
North-South trade corridor, linking Tajikistan to Pakistani ports.
It is an open secret, that as an economic corridor, Pakistan is
not acceptable to the expansionist India. India is determined to divert the
trade corridor towards Iran as she has already invested heavily in Chabahar
Port and Zaranj - Dilaram road network linking Iran to Central Asia via
Afghanistan. But the efforts are stalled by instability in Afghanistan.
Afghanistan is still 80% dependent on Pakistan, economically. India’s some
projects specially construction of Dams on Kabul river are aimed to block the
flow of water towards Pakistan. Moreover, several unannounced Indian consulates
are operating in Afghan cities along Pakistani border without any plausible
business links with the locals. It, coupled by the apprehension of RAW agent
Kalbhushan Yadav from Baluchistan, has raised eyes brow of everyone what Indian
presence in Afghanistan is aimed at. It is only to destabilize Pakistan’s
western belt as well as undermine CPEC.
Both Pakistan and Afghanistan have suffered a lot over the last
four decades. Now it is time to behave like friends not foes. We have to keep
its eyes open, understand the conspiracies of India and its devil game in the
region. The issue of construction of dams on River Kabul should not be aimed to
divert and block water flow downside in Pakistan. Moreover, Pakistan’s
initiative of managing the DL must be taken positively as it is in favour of
both to counter the terrorism in the area. We are neighbors and live
peacefully. We have to manage our problems bilaterally as neighbors can never
afford to live under the dictates of regional and extra regional powers. Both
Kabul and Tehran can also be evolved into CPEC to make it a success. This is
the only way to stop US and India to exploit Pak - Afghan fragile relations to
their tune under the new US policy shift to use India as policeman against and
contain China.
The writer is a
freelance journalist
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