Chaudhry Nisar has ‘reservations’ over border post handover

[Hiptullha]

Chaudhry Nisar has ‘reservations’ over border post handover
By Sohail Chaudhry
Published: May 23, 2016
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Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan. PHOTO: INP

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan has expressed reservations over the handover of a purpose-built border crossing facility in South Waziristan Agency to Afghan authorities.

The development came a day after the military said that the Angoor Adda border crossing facility was handed over to the Afghan authorities “to strengthen brotherly relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan and with a strategic intent to improve border management”.

“It was reiterated during the process, that all border-related issues will be amicably resolved through mutual consultations subsequently,” the military’s media wing said in a statement on Saturday.

However a source told

Daily Express that the interior minister has voiced his reservations over the move in a letter to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif. All constitutional and legal procedures set for such decisions have been violated blatantly, reads the letter. “There are very clear rules which should be followed before taking such important decisions.”

Nisar said in the letter that the interior ministry was a big stakeholder in matters related to border management, border control or protection of borders. Notwithstanding, the ministry was ignored while handing over the Angoor Adda border crossing facility to Afghan authorities.

The minister said he had a lot of questions about how the facility was handed over to Afghan authorities. “The government is the custodian of each and every inch of the motherland. We must follow the legal procedures if we have to take such decisions,” he said in the letter.

Nisar added that he would wait anxiously for the prime minister’s return to take up the matter with him.

On May 13, Kabul and Islamabad agreed to reopen the Torkham border crossing which was closed after Afghan forces blocked a move by Pakistani authorities to fence the border, leaving thousands of people and vehicles stranded on both sides of the Durand Line.

Pakistan has repeatedly floated proposals for better border management in order to curb illegal movement, but the response from Kabul has always been lukewarm. Cross-border movement of militants is one of the key sticking points in Pak-Afghan relations. The two countries accuse each other of failing to maintain strict border controls.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 23rd, 2016.

http://tribune.com.pk/story/1108355/chaudhry-nisar-reservations-border-post-handover/

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The lack of coordination between the government and the military is becoming alarming. These two institutions are not supposed to be independent of one another, yet we're see daily signs that they're being controlled by different minds. I don't care how effective or efficient or competent the military is. It shouldn't be carrying out such things if the government appears to have no idea about what's going on and hasn't given its consent.

 

[That Guy]

I'm against the handover as well, I have no idea what GHQ was thinking.

 

[saiyan0321]

Have to agree. What was the military thinking? Handing over our piece of land to a country that just recently escalated tensions at torkham border. What reason was there? If goodwill alone then there are thousand other methods to get goodwill and pretty sure whatever little we got was cut out by the droning of mullah mansour in our territory. The army has to come forward and give a solid reason behind this exchange and why wasn't the govt nor the people informed of this? No prior notice no nothing.

 

[Hyperion]

What the hell are they smoking at GHQ? Never in my life, did I ever imagine that I'd be agreeing with Ch. Nisar!

 

[Tripoli]

What the hell are they smoking at GHQ? Never in my life, did I ever imagine that I'd be agreeing with Ch. Nisar!

Feel the same.

 

[Lavrentiy]

What the hell are they smoking at GHQ? Never in my life, did I ever imagine that I'd be agreeing with Ch. Nisar!

They have become mentally deranged from the fumes rising out of the burning dead body of their beloved Mullah Mansoor.

 

[saiyan0321]

@Irfan Baloch @Zibago @Rashid Mahmood @kaaptan @DESERT FIGHTER

 

[RIP Pak LAW]

Its better to have some one other than Raheel Sharif in command now. He is turning out to be a disappointment in the end.

 

[saiyan0321]

Don't like to quote wiki but her goes

Angur Ada (انګور اډه, literally: "Grape Base" in Pashto) is a village and a border crossing straddling the South Waziristan Agency of Pakistan'sFederally Administered Tribal Areas andAfghanistan's Paktika Province. It is one of the few easy passages across this mountainous border, and one of two between Paktika and Waziristan, the other passage being the Gomal River.

The Afghan village Shkin lies just to the west of Angur Ada. The actual authoritative Durand Line, first demarcated in 1895, slices through the east side of the main bazaar area, placing most of the built up area legally in Afghanistan. However, the military forces and gates enforcing border control are several hundred meters west of the boundary and thus west of the main bazaar area, placing nearly all of the village's built-up area under the control of forces in Pakistan.

The population in the area consists of tribesmen that share the Taliban'sPashtun ethnicity[1] and are said to be fiercely conservative[2] and antagonistic towards Pakistani authorities who wield almost no control here, being limited in their movements to 100 yards on each side of the road. In 2003 it was reported that eight people had been gunned down in Angur Ada, suspected of being US informants.[1][2]


Well this could mean that the military wishes to end all border disputes with afghanistan.

 

[Hell hound]

i am still confused did we just gave a piece of our land to those f***ing afganis or did we just handover them their part of land on which we build them a new boarder crossing.

 

[The Sandman]

The army has to come forward and give a solid reason behind this exchange

Pak afwaaj is not answerable to anyone
But seriously how can they even do this without informing GOV about it? wth?

 

[Syed_Adeel]

To all emotional fools who are bashing Raheel sharif and Military, That area was part of Afghanistan but Pakistan put it in its own control in 1950s. since then Afghanistan has asked Pakistan to return their area. Now Pakistan has decided to control that post.

 

[saiyan0321]

i am still confused did we just gave a piece of our land to those f***ing afganis or did we just handover them their part of land on which we build them a new boarder crossing.

Well according to wiki legally much of angur adda belonged to Afghanistan but the border control and check post of Pakistan military was based on the west side of the legal border placing it under our occupation. It could be that we were returning land that legally belonged to Afghanistan.

Pak afwaaj is not answerable to anyone
But seriously how can they even do this without informing GOV about it? wth?

Lolzz

This is what's bothering me. Neither the govt nor the people were informed that such an exchange was taking place. I found this news in the ISPR tweets and I was like wait WTH. The correct protocol is informing the govt ( which would have alerted the news agencies which would have brought it to public light) before the exchange.

The area was under our control for a very long time. I didn't like this return.

 

[RIP Pak LAW]

How can those Afghanis claim that part of the world as their territory when they don't accept Durran line at first place. As per them, entire Tribal belt and Pushtoon area belongs to Afghanista and they won't hesitate to claim every check post till Peshawer. First they should acknowledge Pakistani border as International border than we should had sorted out such border posts. Till than Pakistan Army should had kept its control there. Silly decision and that too without Govt's approval. Clearly a sign of state within a state culture.

 

[Lucky Breeze]

How can those Afghanis claim that part of the world as their territory when they don't accept Durran line at first place. As per them, entire Tribal belt and Pushtoon area belongs to Afghanista and they won't hesitate to claim every check post till Peshawer. First they should acknowledge Pakistani border as International border than we should had sorted out such border posts. Till than Pakistan Army should had kept its control there. Silly decision and that too without Govt's approval. Clearly a sign of state within a state culture.

Exactly! There should be some give and take. Either land for land ( Waa khan) or at least afghan govt formally accept the durrand line.