Kabul rejects border fencing offer

Kabul—Afghanistan said Tuesday it would ‘never accept’ the fencing of its border with Pakistan after Islamabad renewed the proposal amid pressure to stop the cross-border movement of militants.
The border, called the Durand Line, was drawn by the colonial British more than a century ago and is not accepted by Afghanistan, which is suspicious of attempts to have it internationally recognised.
Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri on Sunday repeated his country’s proposal to fence the 2,500-kilometre (1,500-mile) border, which in some areas cuts through steep mountainous terrain.
A spokesman for President Hamid Karzai reiterated Afghanistan’s strong rejection of the idea, saying the militancy must be stopped at its roots. “Terrorism or terror activities cannot be rooted out by fencing the Durand Line,” Karim Rahimi told reporters.
“The best way for eradication of terrorism must be targeting the roots and main sources of terrorism.”