The Afghanistan–Pakistan border is marked by eight official crossing points and nearly 1,000 military forts.[4] In addition to these forts, the Pakistan side of the border is also dotted with more than 1200 border posts. There are over 400 forts in the northwestern area alone, complete with cameras and watchtowers, while more than 800 drones assisting the barrier.[5] The Balochistan portion of the border is marked with roughly 600 forts [1]. The barrier and other measures are designed to impede the Afghan Taliban and Pakistani Taliban from freely crossing the border to coordinate and launch attacks against the governments of Afghanistan and Pakistan and evade authorities on either side. Despite the two Taliban organizations claiming to be completely separate from each other, Afghan Taliban leaders have been found operating from Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan and Pakistani Taliban leaders have been found hiding from Pakistani law enforcement in Afghanistan while systemically coordinating a joint militant network with their Afghan counterparts.
Initial fencing plans
In September 2005, Pakistan stated it had plans to build a 2,400-kilometre (1,500 mi) fence along its border with Afghanistan to prevent insurgents and drug smugglers slipping between the two countries. The initially proposed fortifications and fence was backed by the United States in 2005.[6] Major General Shaukat Sultan, a former Pakistani military spokesman, said the move was necessary to block the infiltration of militants across the border into Pakistan.[7] Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf later offered to mine the border as well.[8][9]
The plans to fence and mine the border were again considered in 2007 and then in 2009, but they were not fully implemented. However, a 35-kilometre-long (22 mi) portion along selected border areas was fenced but the work was discontinued for lack of funds.[10] In June 2011, Major General Athar Abbas, the then-spokesman for the army, said: "We did fence around 35km of the border area as it faced continuous militant incursions. It was a joint project of ISAF and Afghanistan. But then they backed out. It was a very costly project."[11] During the Musharraf period, a biometric system was installed by Pakistan at border crossings. Afghanistan had objected to the system. The biometric system remains intact at the border, although it is yet to be made fully functional.[12]
Pakistani plans for fortifying, fencing and mining the border were renewed on 26 December 2006, but these plans were opposed by the Afghan government, citing that the fencing would result in "the limitation of the freedom of movement of tribal peoples".[13] Due to Afghanistan's fierce opposition to the border fencing, the Angur Ada and Sheken areas saw a series of armed border skirmishes that resulted in cross−border artillery strikes launched by Pakistan in April 2007.[14] On 1 April 2013, the Afghan Foreign Ministry formally protested and raised "grave concerns" over what it called "the Pakistani military's unilateral construction and physical reinforcement activities along the Afghanistan–Pakistan border in eastern Nangarhar province".[15]
In Afghanistan some groups do not recognize the Durand Line itself as a legitimate border between it and Pakistan, as it divides the Pashtun tribes who live on both sides of the border.[16] They contend that the installation of a physical barrier would divide people and make this border permanent.[17]
Construction progress and trenches
In June 2016, after three years of construction, Pakistan completed a 1,100 km (680 mi) trench along its border with Afghanistan from Balochistan to ensure proper border management.[18] The initial excavation was largely carried out by the paramilitary Frontier Corps. The purpose of the trench is to tighten border security and create more favourable conditions for Pakistani security forces responsible for patrolling the border by deterring and restricting the flow of unauthorized entities, such as narcotics, militants, smugglers and general illegal movements of Afghan civilians or refugees.[12] Three private construction companies out of Pakistan's Balochistan province were contracted to supply manpower and oversee the arrangement of necessary equipment. The 4-metre-deep (13 ft) and 5-metre-wide (16 ft) trench is planned to be extended along the whole border.[19]
As of January 2019, about 900 km (560 mi) of fortifications and fencing have been constructed.[20] The fencing is about 94% complete as of 5 January 2022, and on 21 January 2022 the Interior Minister of Pakistan stated that only 20 km remains to be fenced in total.[21][22] As of April 2023, 98% of fencing and 85% of fortifications have been completed.[23]
Military forts were constructed every one to three kilometers to guard the border against infiltration.
The project is predicted to cost at least $532 million.[24]
Torkham, Chaman and Ghulam Khan border crossings are 24/6 day/night operational crossings, excluding only Saturday which is reserved day for the pedestrian movement.
In 2020 the Government of Pakistan decided to establish 12 border markets along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border to facilitate trade and free movement.[25] The Badini market in Zhob was inaugurated in 2020, effectively increasing trade and commerce between two countries.[26]
Border movement
Afghanistan-Pakistan border witnesses the movements of thousands of people per day through different border crossings. Thousands of trucks also use these points to move the goods from Pakistan to Afghanistan and Central Asia and vice versa. Statistics available with The Khorasan Diary, an independent news portal, show that 1,374,394 people have crossed on either side in one year, while 234,944 vehicles had passed through the border terminal in the same time frame.
^"Pakistan doing all it can in terror war - Musharraf". Turkish weekly. February 28, 2006. Archived from the original on 2006-10-09. Retrieved 2006-12-03. WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said on Monday his country was doing all it could in the U.S.-led war against terrorism and offered to fence and mine its border with Afghanistan to stem Taliban infiltration. "I have been telling Karzai and the United States, 'Let us fence the border and let us mine it.' Today I say it again. Let us mine their entire border. Let us fence it. It's not difficult", Musharraf said, referring to Afghan President Hamid Karzai.
^Plett, Barbara (March 1, 2006). "Musharraf interview: Full transcript". BBC News. Retrieved 2006-12-03. Now the other thing that I've said: if he thinks everyone is crossing from here, I've been saying let us fence the border and let us also mine the border. We are experts at mining, they should mine the border on their side. We will fence it on our side. If that is all right I am for it, so that they are not allowed to go across at all. And then let us see what is happening in Afghanistan. Why don't they agree to this, I've said this openly many times before, they don't do it, for whatever are their reasons. I know how effective the fence, the Indian fence which is about 1,800 kilometres, and they are fencing the Kashmir mountains also, it is so difficult. Why are they doing that, are they mad, they are spending billions of rupees. Because it is effective. Let's fence this border so that this blame game is killed once for ever.
