06-18-2016, 09:51 PM
(This post was last modified: 06-19-2016, 10:35 AM by John J. Xenakis.)
*** 19-Jun-16 World View -- Pak-Afghan border crisis revives controversy over 120 year old Durand Line
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
****
**** Pakistan reopens border crossing with Pakistan after week of gunfights
****
![[Image: g160618b.jpg]](http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g160618b.jpg)
Hundreds of trucks backed up at the Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan (Reuters)
Pakistan reopened the Torkham border gate, a major border crossing
with Afghanistan on Saturday, after keeping it closed for almost a
week amid cross-border gunfights that killed at least one Afghan
border police officer and one Pakistani army major.
Thousands of vehicles normally pass through the Torkham crossing every
week, making it a vital trade link between the countries. During the
last week, there have been long lines of trucks backed up and waiting
at the Torkham gate, on both sides of the Khyber Pass, a well-known
mountainous transit route linking the two countries.
The border between the two countries has been tense for years. It's
been particularly ironic that for many years the headquarters of the
Afghan Taliban was in Pakistan, while the headquarters of the Pakistan
Taliban was in Afghanistan. Each group would cross the border
to commit terrorist acts, and then would flee back across the
border to escape approaching security forces.
A turning point for Pakistan was reached after a horrific January 20
terror attack on Bacha Khan University in Charsadda in northwest
Pakistan, killing 21 lives including a professor. Investigation
showed that the perpetrators had crossed the border from Afghanistan,
and then crossed back. Pakistan's army decided that it was necessary
to build a fence along the border, and to control the border
crossings.
Afghanistan opposed this plan because hundreds of trucks and thousands
of people cross the border every week for trade, work and medical
care, and because the location of the border is in dispute. Pakistan
went ahead with the construction of the border gates, and that lead to
the gunfights last week.
Pakistan finally reopened the border crossing on Saturday, but will
only allow people to cross from Afghanistan to Pakistan if they have
the proper documents - a visa and a valid passport. Since thousands
of people have been crossing the border for years with no documents,
this crisis is far from over.
Thousands of Afghans conducted protests earlier this week in two
Afghan cities, Jalalabad and Lashkar Gah, chanting "Death to
Pakistan." Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan, Dr. Omar Zakhilwal,
has threatened to resign. "I don't see any reason for me to continue
my current job" unless Pakistan suspends its construction of new
installations pending negotiations.
However, a Pakistan official says, "This gate (is) considered
essential to check and verify documentation of all border crossers."
CNN and Dawn (Pakistan) and Khaama (Afghanistan) and Al-Jazeera
****
**** Tensions grow over the Durand Line defining the Pak-Afghan border
****
![[Image: g160618c.jpg]](http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com/ww2010/g160618c.jpg)
Pakistan army image showing the Torkham border gate 37 meters inside Pakistan
According to Pakistan's military, "In order to check movement of
terrorists through Torkham, Pakistan is constructing a gate on (our)
own side of the border as a necessity to check unwanted and illegal
movement." According to Pakistan, the Torkham border gate is being
built 37 meters within Pakistan. However, Afghanistan disagrees,
saying that the gate is being built one kilometer within Afghanistan.
The disagreement is over the border line separating the two countries.
In 1893, Sir Mortimer Durand, Britain's Indian foreign secretary at
the time, signed an agreement with Abdur Rahman Khan, the Amir of
Afghanistan, defining the 2640 km border, known as the "Durand Line."
However, after the 1947 Partition war that partitioned the Indian
subcontinent into India and Pakistan, Afghanistan reneged on the
agreement, and asserted claims to additional territory with Pakistan.
Since then, efforts to renegotiate the agreement have been torpedoed
by both sides. Since 9/11/2001, the Durand Line has taken on special
significance, because of Afghan war and by the bombing by American
warplanes and drones of Taliban targets in Pakistan's tribal area.
It seems pretty certain that the border crossing crisis is far from
over. Thousands of people are going to be inconvenienced by
Pakistan's requirement that anyone crossing the border must have a
visa and valid passport, and anyway, Afghanistan is certain to renew
is claim that the Durand Line is not valid, and Pakistan's new border
crossing is actually on Afghan territory. AFP and The Diplomat and The Nation (Pakistan)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Torkham border crossing,
Khyber Pass, Afghan Taliban, Pakistan Taliban, Bacha Khan University,
Charsadda, Jalalabad, Lashkar Gah, Omar Zakhilwal,
Sir Mortimer Durand, Abdur Rahman Khan, Durand Line
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
This morning's key headlines from GenerationalDynamics.com
- Pakistan reopens border crossing with Pakistan after week of gunfights
- Tensions grow over the Durand Line defining the Pak-Afghan border
****
**** Pakistan reopens border crossing with Pakistan after week of gunfights
****
Hundreds of trucks backed up at the Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan (Reuters)
Pakistan reopened the Torkham border gate, a major border crossing
with Afghanistan on Saturday, after keeping it closed for almost a
week amid cross-border gunfights that killed at least one Afghan
border police officer and one Pakistani army major.
Thousands of vehicles normally pass through the Torkham crossing every
week, making it a vital trade link between the countries. During the
last week, there have been long lines of trucks backed up and waiting
at the Torkham gate, on both sides of the Khyber Pass, a well-known
mountainous transit route linking the two countries.
The border between the two countries has been tense for years. It's
been particularly ironic that for many years the headquarters of the
Afghan Taliban was in Pakistan, while the headquarters of the Pakistan
Taliban was in Afghanistan. Each group would cross the border
to commit terrorist acts, and then would flee back across the
border to escape approaching security forces.
A turning point for Pakistan was reached after a horrific January 20
terror attack on Bacha Khan University in Charsadda in northwest
Pakistan, killing 21 lives including a professor. Investigation
showed that the perpetrators had crossed the border from Afghanistan,
and then crossed back. Pakistan's army decided that it was necessary
to build a fence along the border, and to control the border
crossings.
Afghanistan opposed this plan because hundreds of trucks and thousands
of people cross the border every week for trade, work and medical
care, and because the location of the border is in dispute. Pakistan
went ahead with the construction of the border gates, and that lead to
the gunfights last week.
Pakistan finally reopened the border crossing on Saturday, but will
only allow people to cross from Afghanistan to Pakistan if they have
the proper documents - a visa and a valid passport. Since thousands
of people have been crossing the border for years with no documents,
this crisis is far from over.
Thousands of Afghans conducted protests earlier this week in two
Afghan cities, Jalalabad and Lashkar Gah, chanting "Death to
Pakistan." Afghanistan's ambassador to Pakistan, Dr. Omar Zakhilwal,
has threatened to resign. "I don't see any reason for me to continue
my current job" unless Pakistan suspends its construction of new
installations pending negotiations.
However, a Pakistan official says, "This gate (is) considered
essential to check and verify documentation of all border crossers."
CNN and Dawn (Pakistan) and Khaama (Afghanistan) and Al-Jazeera
****
**** Tensions grow over the Durand Line defining the Pak-Afghan border
****
Pakistan army image showing the Torkham border gate 37 meters inside Pakistan
According to Pakistan's military, "In order to check movement of
terrorists through Torkham, Pakistan is constructing a gate on (our)
own side of the border as a necessity to check unwanted and illegal
movement." According to Pakistan, the Torkham border gate is being
built 37 meters within Pakistan. However, Afghanistan disagrees,
saying that the gate is being built one kilometer within Afghanistan.
The disagreement is over the border line separating the two countries.
In 1893, Sir Mortimer Durand, Britain's Indian foreign secretary at
the time, signed an agreement with Abdur Rahman Khan, the Amir of
Afghanistan, defining the 2640 km border, known as the "Durand Line."
However, after the 1947 Partition war that partitioned the Indian
subcontinent into India and Pakistan, Afghanistan reneged on the
agreement, and asserted claims to additional territory with Pakistan.
Since then, efforts to renegotiate the agreement have been torpedoed
by both sides. Since 9/11/2001, the Durand Line has taken on special
significance, because of Afghan war and by the bombing by American
warplanes and drones of Taliban targets in Pakistan's tribal area.
It seems pretty certain that the border crossing crisis is far from
over. Thousands of people are going to be inconvenienced by
Pakistan's requirement that anyone crossing the border must have a
visa and valid passport, and anyway, Afghanistan is certain to renew
is claim that the Durand Line is not valid, and Pakistan's new border
crossing is actually on Afghan territory. AFP and The Diplomat and The Nation (Pakistan)
KEYS: Generational Dynamics, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Torkham border crossing,
Khyber Pass, Afghan Taliban, Pakistan Taliban, Bacha Khan University,
Charsadda, Jalalabad, Lashkar Gah, Omar Zakhilwal,
Sir Mortimer Durand, Abdur Rahman Khan, Durand Line
Permanent web link to this article
Receive daily World View columns by e-mail
Contribute to Generational Dynamics via PayPal
John J. Xenakis
100 Memorial Drive Apt 8-13A
Cambridge, MA 02142
Phone: 617-864-0010
E-mail: john@GenerationalDynamics.com
Web site: http://www.GenerationalDynamics.com
Forum: http://www.gdxforum.com/forum
Subscribe to World View: http://generationaldynamics.com/subscribe
