Tariq Rizwan
Durand Line is an international border between the two neighboring countries; Pakistan and India. The Durand Line Agreement (DLA) was signed by Sir Mortimer Durand, on behalf of British India and Emir AbdurRahman Khan on behalf of Government of Afghanistan in 1893. Subsequent mutual agreements of 1919 and 1921 have also endorsed, though indirectly, the DLA. Afghan government never raised the issue of time limitation in DLA or its un-acceptance to the Afghan people rather they insisted on facilitation of their trade and concessions through Pakistani routes which Pakistan agreed in the 1921 agreement.By then Afghanistan was a sovereign country and signed the 2640kilometerslong border,once for all. Such agreements of the past canbe revoked only through mutual understanding if any problem arises.
Immediately after the arrival of US and NATO troops in Afghanistan in the wakeof 9/11, the issue of 100 years limitation was raised in media to spoil the friendly relations of the two neighbors. However, Kabul was advised by their foreign mentors not to create unnecessary problemsand label baseless allegations as it might have added fuel to the fireand increased the mistrust. In the subsequent bilateral discussions the DLA was discussed in detail but there was no mention of 100 years in DLA.The Indian conspiracy and propaganda of pitching Kabul with Islamabad had to eat a humble pie and retreat for the time being. Afghan Free Trade Agreement (AFTA) was signed between the two sides in 2010. Pakistan agreed as per the past agreements and traditions to facilitate Afghan trade and exempt it from taxation. Indeed, Afghan government has not been able to cover the loopholes especially the AFTA stuff leakage in the local market inside Pakistan which has badly affected the local industry.
Afghanistan is a land locked country and facing acute problems. Kabul is dependent on Pakistani routes for import and of edibles, machinery, construction material and all kinds of trade with the outside world. Indeed, the local corrupt mafia backed by the Indian lobbyists has been creating problems from time to time to spoil the brotherly relations of the two countries. The Indian consulates and spies sitting in almost all the Afghan border cities along border with Pakistan are launching militants inside Pakistan to destabilize its western belt. Afghan leadership is so obliged to the Indians due to Delhi’s well projected investment in Afghanistan. Kabul has been made bound to take Delhi on board in relations with Islamabad. The Kabul’s refusal to allow Tajikistan via Afghan Wakhan Strip is a strong case in point.
Indians have been continuously writing on DLA and trying to exploit some baseless theories and myths to keep the tension between Islamabad and Kabul high. The occasional paper ‘History, Legality and Future of Durand Line’ was produced in September 2013 by an Indian writer ArkaBiswas. He has narratedhis own created baseless allegations to gain the sympathies of Afghan people. First that Emir Abdul Rahman Khan had signed DLA in personal capacity. Was Sir MortimerDurand so stupid to sign such an important agreement with some ordinary Afghan in personal capacity, if not then ArkaBiswas is not in his senses? Second allegation is that Afghan masses are against DLA. So far no mass movement has been surfaced on either side of the border. Third that the treaty was for 100 years, which is not correct as DLA has no such mention in the final draft. Fourth that DLA has become invalid after the signing of Kabul treaty in 1921 which is again wrong as Afghan side demanded concessions in the pursuance of DLA which the Pakistani side accepted time and again.
The ongoing AFTA signed 2010 is the extension of bilateral agreements made in the past. There are reports that Indian spy agency ‘RAW’ has hired the services of an ex Ambassador to launch a book on Pak-Afghan border issue for onward exploitation. It has also been confirmed by the report published by daily ‘Afghanistan Time’ 15 February 2017. The report says the India’s largest publishing house ‘Rupa Publishers’ is likely to publish a sensational book on DLAwritten by Rajiv Dodra.Hence, the conspiracy theories continued to haunt Pak-Afghan ties with the sufferings of traders and border people on both sides.
The existing blockade of Afghan trade on Torkham and Chamanborder check posts by Pakistani authoritiesin the name of border fencing and terror cooperation is a sheer violation of AFTA. It is tantamount to helping the conspiracy theories in raising the border issues once again. The recent statement of former Afghan president Hamid Karzai in a tweet said “Pakistan has no legal authority to dictate terms on the Durand Line.While we wish freedom for the people of [the Federally Administered Tribal Areas [Fata] from Frontier Crime Regulation [FCR] and other repressive measures, we remind the Government of Pakistan that Afghanistan hasn’t and will not recognize the Durand line”.Karzai’s language is absolutely unprofessional and undiplomatic. His comment is one of the cause why Pakistan closed the border with Afghanistan for an indefinite period on February 16 after a recent surge in terrorist attacks across the country.
Afghanistan has to choose between the friends and foes. Pakistan has been helping the Afghan brethren for the last four decades against all odds. It is now ideal time for Afghanistan, at least, to behave like a responsible state. Instead of labeling baseless allegations against one another, both Pakistan and Afghanistan have to give up its arrogance, sit down on a table and work out a strategy of their own to bring lasting peace in the region. The conference being held in Londonis a golden opportunity for both the sides to come closer and work out a serious strategy how to tackle the evil of terrorism and get rid of poverty. Else both sides will be considered inefficient and not people-friendly.
