Firing at Chaman

Any signs that there may be some progress in our troubled relations with Afghanistan tend to be fleeting. Just a few days after high-level parliamentary and military delegations visited Afghanistan bearing messages of peace, Afghan security forces, seemingly targeting personnel of the Frontier Corps who were providing security to a population census team in Chaman, killed nine people and injured at least 40 others in an act of unprovoked firing. Among those killed were five children and three women. Out of the injured, four were members of the FC. In a statement after the attack, ISPR claimed that the Afghan Border Police had been creating hurdles for the census team and that it had been informed in advance that the census exercise would be carried out in Chaman. Afghanistan has responded by saying that the team had crossed over into Afghan territory. The problem is an old one. Afghanistan has never fully accepted the international border and so it views the census with suspicion since it includes areas that it feels are part of Afghanistan. Chaman, in particular, has been a flashpoint in Pak-Afghan relations. After the resurgence in militancy – much of it originating from militants based in Afghanistan – at the start of the year, Pakistan sealed off the border at Chaman for a month. That angered Afghanistan, since it cut off the movement of people and goods. But Afghanistan’s indiscriminate firing across the border will only end up hurting it as Pakistan will once again need to take retaliatory measures, which could include closing the border.

Even before this latest incident, Afghanistan had rejected the olive branch of peace. Earlier this week, President Ashraf Ghani refused to visit Pakistan until Taliban members thought to be hiding in the country were extradited. His rejection came despite Pakistani delegations going to Afghanistan. And Pakistan too has wanted Afghanistan to hand over members of the TTP and Jamaatul Ahrar who are based there. Peace needs to be a two-way street and right now Afghanistan is not cooperating. Both countries face a crippling militancy problem and accuse the other of sheltering militants. The way to deal with this is by slowly building trust. Refusing to visit the country or firing on civilians and security forces destroys whatever little hope there is for progress. This is hardly the first time Afghanistan has started firing without cause. Last June, when Pakistan began constructing a gate at the Torkham border, Afghanistan registered its displeasure by shooting across the border and killing an army major. In response, we sealed the border at Torkham. Should it continue to do the same in Chaman, Pakistan’s hand may be forced again – an outcome neither country should want.