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Afghan-Pak Border Clash Doesnt Bode Well For Afghan Peace Analysis
Afghanistans ties with Pakistan are at their lowest in a decade, with both sides engaging in a war of words and cross-border violence. The recent clash over border posts and fortifications has again raked up the contentious issue of the Durand Line, its acceptability as an international border and its impact on Afghan-Pak relations.
The latest controversy involves a border outpost, a checkpoint (gate), and other fortifications recently built by Pakistan along the edge of Goshta District of Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan. Kabul has demanded that Islamabad remove these constructions as they encroach up to 30 kilometers inside Afghan territory, a claim supported by U.S. military maps. Pakistan counters that its new fortifications are on its side of the border.
The final provocation came on the night of 01 May, when Afghan forces noticed Pakistani troops starting additional work on the outpost, despite recent agreements to halt construction. The Afghan border police opened fire and during the seven-hour clash destroyed three Pakistani compounds and two watchtowers forcing Pakistani troops to retreat from the area at around 2 a.m. on 02 May. An Afghan border guard was reportedly killed and three others injured, while Pakistani authorities said that two of its security personnel were wounded in the skirmish.
The incident at Goshta follows weeks of protests by Kabul regarding the new fortifications. In mid-April, Karzai had ordered Afghan troops to take immediate measures to remove these installations as activities along either side of the Durand Line must be approved by both countries. He had also directed his Foreign, Interior, and Defense ministries to ask for clarification from the US-led coalition for assisting and supporting Pakistan to build these installations. The Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Javed Ludin had also summoned Pakistani Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq on the issue.
On the border imbroglio Karzai had also written to the US President on 15 April seeking his intervention in reclaiming nearly a dozen border posts that the Afghan president believed Pakistani forces had unjustly occupied in past decade. US troops had established the 11 posts along the border to keep an eye on the militants crossing over into Afghanistan from Pakistan. Karzai accused the NATO/ISAF of handing over these posts to Pakistan. He urged Obama to back Afghanistans efforts in regaining control of the checkpoints considering the US-Afghan strategic pact.
According to Daily Afghanistan, the spokesperson for the US forces in Afghanistan had called reports relating to these outposts as incorrect. He added that no ISAF establishment had been handed over to Pakistan however they had handed over a number of bases to the Afghan forces and left some of them without handing them over to anyone.
The Defence Commission of the Lower House of the Afghan parliament, which had visited Goshta district in this connection, accused the provincial governor, Gul Agha Sherzai, of carelessness on the issue. The head of Defence Commission claimed that the governor had not informed the government about the issue nor had he taken any corrective measures.
After the recent clash, Pakistans foreign-ministry spokesman said Pakistani forces were merely engaged in renovation and repair at the facility. Pakistan also summoned Afghanistans chargé daffaires on 02 May to protest the incident. US spokesman said the tripartite border commission that includes US, Afghan and Pakistani officers was involved in tamping down tensions.
Each side has blamed the other for sparking the Goshta incident. Afghan Border Police which held the disputed border outpost for several hours after the attack, retreated to their previous positions, Pakistan also confirmed that the outpost, which it calls Gursal, was back under its control on 02 May. However a new round of fighting which lasted two hours erupted on 06 May, after Pakistani troops tried to repair the damaged gate at the border post.
The dispute in Nangarhar had led to mass protests against Pakistan on 02 May, with thousands of Afghans chanting Death to Pakistan as they carried the body of the slain border policeman, Mohammed Qassim Khan, through the streets of Nangarhars capital Jalalabad. Protestors also demanded that Nangarhar Governor Sherzai be dismissed immediately.
President Karzai who had left Kabul on 28 April for Europe to sign long-term cooperation agreements with Finland and Denmark, was quick to seize the moment by giving it a nationalist undertone and whipping up public sentiments against Pakistan and NATO. He also asked the Taliban to join him in fighting Afghanistans enemies and maintaining the integrity of the country, a tact he has used earlier in questioning the Afghan identity of the Taliban.
The US on the other hand is concerned that these border clashes may complicate its efforts to carry out an organised withdrawal from Afghanistan. Keeping the Afghan-Pakistani border open is crucial for U.S. plans to move its military equipment out from Afghanistan as the remaining 66,000 U.S. troops withdraw from the country by 2014.
These border clashes are likely to complicate western efforts to mediate a peace settlement as without Pakistani cooperation, stability is not likely to return to Afghanistan. What is worrisome is that this latest clash comes within a week of the Brussels Trilateral where the border issue would have been discussed and where both Pakistan and Afghanistan had committed to resolve contentious issues and progress the Afghan peace process with all sincerity.
The incident also highlights the fact that even though Pakistani cooperation for negotiations with the Taliban is vital for Afghanistan, it also depends on Pakistan for its economy. The official trade volume between Pakistan and Afghanistan is about $2 billion while the unofficial trade volume is about $5 billion, making Afghanistan the second largest importer of Pakistani goods after the US. This trade is carried out using the land routes through the various border crossing points.
The continuing distrust between Afghanistan and Pakistani leadership, the inability of the US to bring about any consensus and the lack of progress on the Afghan peace talks will only exacerbate the current situation. With 2014 drawing closer, the time for the critical security and political transition in Afghanistan is running out. Delhi would have to be alert to these complex under-currents for they have a bearing on Indias abiding interest and investment in the re-building of Afghanistan.
Afghan-Pak Border Clash Doesn't Bode Well For Afghan Peace - Analysis Eurasia Review
Afghanistans ties with Pakistan are at their lowest in a decade, with both sides engaging in a war of words and cross-border violence. The recent clash over border posts and fortifications has again raked up the contentious issue of the Durand Line, its acceptability as an international border and its impact on Afghan-Pak relations.
The latest controversy involves a border outpost, a checkpoint (gate), and other fortifications recently built by Pakistan along the edge of Goshta District of Nangarhar province in eastern Afghanistan. Kabul has demanded that Islamabad remove these constructions as they encroach up to 30 kilometers inside Afghan territory, a claim supported by U.S. military maps. Pakistan counters that its new fortifications are on its side of the border.
The final provocation came on the night of 01 May, when Afghan forces noticed Pakistani troops starting additional work on the outpost, despite recent agreements to halt construction. The Afghan border police opened fire and during the seven-hour clash destroyed three Pakistani compounds and two watchtowers forcing Pakistani troops to retreat from the area at around 2 a.m. on 02 May. An Afghan border guard was reportedly killed and three others injured, while Pakistani authorities said that two of its security personnel were wounded in the skirmish.
The incident at Goshta follows weeks of protests by Kabul regarding the new fortifications. In mid-April, Karzai had ordered Afghan troops to take immediate measures to remove these installations as activities along either side of the Durand Line must be approved by both countries. He had also directed his Foreign, Interior, and Defense ministries to ask for clarification from the US-led coalition for assisting and supporting Pakistan to build these installations. The Afghan Deputy Foreign Minister Javed Ludin had also summoned Pakistani Ambassador Mohammad Sadiq on the issue.
On the border imbroglio Karzai had also written to the US President on 15 April seeking his intervention in reclaiming nearly a dozen border posts that the Afghan president believed Pakistani forces had unjustly occupied in past decade. US troops had established the 11 posts along the border to keep an eye on the militants crossing over into Afghanistan from Pakistan. Karzai accused the NATO/ISAF of handing over these posts to Pakistan. He urged Obama to back Afghanistans efforts in regaining control of the checkpoints considering the US-Afghan strategic pact.
According to Daily Afghanistan, the spokesperson for the US forces in Afghanistan had called reports relating to these outposts as incorrect. He added that no ISAF establishment had been handed over to Pakistan however they had handed over a number of bases to the Afghan forces and left some of them without handing them over to anyone.
The Defence Commission of the Lower House of the Afghan parliament, which had visited Goshta district in this connection, accused the provincial governor, Gul Agha Sherzai, of carelessness on the issue. The head of Defence Commission claimed that the governor had not informed the government about the issue nor had he taken any corrective measures.
After the recent clash, Pakistans foreign-ministry spokesman said Pakistani forces were merely engaged in renovation and repair at the facility. Pakistan also summoned Afghanistans chargé daffaires on 02 May to protest the incident. US spokesman said the tripartite border commission that includes US, Afghan and Pakistani officers was involved in tamping down tensions.
Each side has blamed the other for sparking the Goshta incident. Afghan Border Police which held the disputed border outpost for several hours after the attack, retreated to their previous positions, Pakistan also confirmed that the outpost, which it calls Gursal, was back under its control on 02 May. However a new round of fighting which lasted two hours erupted on 06 May, after Pakistani troops tried to repair the damaged gate at the border post.
The dispute in Nangarhar had led to mass protests against Pakistan on 02 May, with thousands of Afghans chanting Death to Pakistan as they carried the body of the slain border policeman, Mohammed Qassim Khan, through the streets of Nangarhars capital Jalalabad. Protestors also demanded that Nangarhar Governor Sherzai be dismissed immediately.
President Karzai who had left Kabul on 28 April for Europe to sign long-term cooperation agreements with Finland and Denmark, was quick to seize the moment by giving it a nationalist undertone and whipping up public sentiments against Pakistan and NATO. He also asked the Taliban to join him in fighting Afghanistans enemies and maintaining the integrity of the country, a tact he has used earlier in questioning the Afghan identity of the Taliban.
The US on the other hand is concerned that these border clashes may complicate its efforts to carry out an organised withdrawal from Afghanistan. Keeping the Afghan-Pakistani border open is crucial for U.S. plans to move its military equipment out from Afghanistan as the remaining 66,000 U.S. troops withdraw from the country by 2014.
These border clashes are likely to complicate western efforts to mediate a peace settlement as without Pakistani cooperation, stability is not likely to return to Afghanistan. What is worrisome is that this latest clash comes within a week of the Brussels Trilateral where the border issue would have been discussed and where both Pakistan and Afghanistan had committed to resolve contentious issues and progress the Afghan peace process with all sincerity.
The incident also highlights the fact that even though Pakistani cooperation for negotiations with the Taliban is vital for Afghanistan, it also depends on Pakistan for its economy. The official trade volume between Pakistan and Afghanistan is about $2 billion while the unofficial trade volume is about $5 billion, making Afghanistan the second largest importer of Pakistani goods after the US. This trade is carried out using the land routes through the various border crossing points.
The continuing distrust between Afghanistan and Pakistani leadership, the inability of the US to bring about any consensus and the lack of progress on the Afghan peace talks will only exacerbate the current situation. With 2014 drawing closer, the time for the critical security and political transition in Afghanistan is running out. Delhi would have to be alert to these complex under-currents for they have a bearing on Indias abiding interest and investment in the re-building of Afghanistan.
Afghan-Pak Border Clash Doesn't Bode Well For Afghan Peace - Analysis Eurasia Review
