Trouble at Torkham

The Torkham border remained closed for a third day after a dispute between Pakistani and Afghan authorities over the installation of barbed wires and fences in Pakistan could not be resolved. This has left hundreds of people stranded on both sides of the border. Both countries have escalated the presence of their military personnel on the border and have also been asking residents to evacuate the area. This crossing is used by Afghans who work in, or need medical help in, Pakistan and it connects separated families. Now, the border has been mostly shut down with the construction of barbed wire and fencing on the Pakistani side. Tensions had been brewing for a while and last month a woman and her child were killed in a stampede at the same border, when the authorities suddenly started demanding that everyone trying to cross over had to present valid documentation – something that has never been done before. We seem to have raised the ante and stopped any movement from the Afghanistan side. The rationale behind this may be to stop the infiltration of militants and smugglers, but the border is so porous that sealing it at one entry point will have little effect other than to hurt those who have legitimate reasons to cross over into Pakistan.

The fault lies not only with Pakistan. For years, Afghanistan has complained about how we have allowed militants to cross the border unimpeded, without acknowledging the impossibility of policing the border or recognising that they too have a duty to guard it. But we appear to be going about the problem the wrong way by causing pain to people who have done nothing to deserve it. There is a lesson to be learned about the value of friendly cooperation from incidents like the joint Afghan-US operation which resulted in the rescue of Ali Haider Gilani. The answer to the problem is not to take unilateral action – which we have done by putting up barbed wires and the Afghans have done by sending troops to the border in response. We must be cognizant of the fact that the communities which have lived on this border are used to moving across with relative freedom. Ensuring terrorists don’t cross the border is the task of security forces on both sides of the border. Talks are ongoing between officials of both countries about the Torkham border. If the two countries were to work together – rather than undermining each other – there would be a better than fair chance of peace in the region.