The Torkham clash

This refers to the article ‘The Torkham clash’ (June 26) by Alamzeb Khan. Instead of constructing impenetrable walls and installing mighty gates, we should bridge the gaps with trust, patience, love and tolerance. A bellicose attitude will only serve to aggravate the already volatile situation. The writer has rightly mentioned that in the past we have shared “scores of success stories” with Afghanistan. Former king Zahir Shah refused to allow India to use Afghan soil against Pakistan during the 1965 war. Pakistan reciprocated by welcoming three million refugees with open arms.

At the moment, Pakistan is trying to manoeuvre QCG to bring peace and stability to war-stricken Afghanistan. Afghan people have been experiencing war, famines and violence for decades. There should be some respite for those people who crave for peace, progress and prosperity. The Durand Line is an internationally recognised boundary between the two states. If Kabul has some reservations, it should engage Islamabad diplomatically to resolve this volatile issue. The porous border will do no service to either side. By regulating the entry and exit points, both countries will get the benefits of trade and customs duties. The porous border is immune to smuggling and drug-trafficking, and the income of smuggled goods is misused in terror activities. Moreover, the writer has wisely put that “both countries are closely knitted into each other on religious, historic and ethnic grounds and rivalry between them will be tragic.” So those at the helm of affairs on both sides of the border should sit together to resolve their border related issues amicably instead of resorting to violence.

Muhammad Fayyaz

Mianwali