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KABUL: Pakistan’s military says that it would complete the fencing along the Durand Line as already 94% of the barbed-wire fence has already been completed.
“The fencing alongside the Durand Line is continuing and work is completed 94 percent. Pakistan will finish it. This is good for the security of the people on both sides,” said Babar Iftikhar, spokesman for Pakistan’s armed forces.
The dispute over the Durand Line between Kabul and Islamabad is apparently escalating.
The Taliban have said the decision over the fate of the Durand Line belongs to the people living on both sides of the line.
“The Durand Line is an issue of the whole nation, not the government. It doesn’t belong to the government. We will give the responsibility to the nation, so the nation will make the decision,” said Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sher Mohammad Abbas Stanikzai.
Earlier, a video on social media showed Islamic Emirate forces destroying the Durand Line fencing and engaging in a dispute with the Pakistani military.
A Pakistan military spokesman said that the fencing was aimed to protect the people along the Durand Line.
The Durand Line has been a controversial issue between Kabul and Islamabad for a long time.
The former Afghan government also showed opposition to the fencing along the border.
“There is a possibility of inflicting damage to Pakistan as well because of this (fencing) issue. Pakistan said it was just an issue in a single area, but it is not, because it (tension on Durand) occurred in Nangarhar, Nimroz, Kandahar and it may occur in other areas. But anyway, there is a need for dialogue,” said Tahir Khan, a journalist from Pakistan.
The Pakistan military has been fencing the Durand Line for the past five years. The length of the Durand Line is approximately 2,500 km.
The fencing of the Durand Line has also faced a strong reaction from the public in Afghanistan. The video showing an alleged member of the Islamic Emirate destroying the fencing was widely celebrated by Afghan social media users.
