Pakistan to fence, mine border with Afghanistan
Sanctions against Iran opposed: FO
By Asghar Ali Mubarak

ISLAMABAD—Pakistan on Tuesday said it will fence and mine portions of the 2400 kilometre long porous Pak-Afghan border to prevent any cross-border movement, Foreign Office said. Foreign Secretary Riaz Muhammad Khan said, “Pakistan army has been tasked to work out modalities for selective fencing and mining of the Pak-Afghan border to prevent any militant activity from Pakistan into Afghanistan.”
Under this measure, the Foreign Secretary said designated crossing points would be marked. Pakistan will also strictly monitor the Afghan refugees and is expediting the process of their registration, he added.
The Foreign Secretary urged the United Nations to expedite the relocation of Afghan refugees. When asked whether Afghanistan has been informed, Khan said Pakistan’s intentions and suggestions in this regard were already known, not only to Afghanistan, but also to other countries and it was fencing only its side of the border. He said it was a unilateral act prompted due to the country’s desire to effectively control any illegal cross border movement. Khan however said “interdicting and preventing is not just the responsibility of Pakistan, but it is equally the responsibility of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF), NATO and Afghan security forces.”
Khan said Pakistan has also decided to expand the Frontier Corps, increase the strength of Levies and their deployment along the Pak-Afghan border. He said no time frame has yet been set about the completion of the project, but added that initially the Pakistan Army will undertake mining in selected areas.
Khan said Pakistan was not signatory to the Ottawa Convention on mining but said “there is an extraordinary situation and we need to undertake extraordinary measures to tackle it.” He said mining needs to be done with “great care” in areas that require monitoring and added that the local population has to be informed so that innocent people are not caught unaware. The Foreign Secretary said designated crossing points will facilitate movement across the border under the “easement rights” and supplement measures that have already been taken to prevent any militant activity in Afghanistan.
To a question he said there has not yet been any decision to seek help from the international community in the fencing as it was a more costly affair. “However the international community needs to help in the repatriation of the Afghan refugees and should be undertaken on urgent basis,” he added.
The Foreign Secretary said Pakistan has large number of Afghan refugees, living close to the borders with Afghanistan and the international community needs to come up with funds and initiative to expedite their repatriation. He said Afghanistan needs a Marshal Plan sort of thing to improve the situation, however added that Pakistan has not yet approached any country in this regard and was on its own part helping in rebuilding of Afghanistan.