It is a matter of great satisfaction that the Pakistan Armed forces have been fencing the Durand Line at a satisfactory pace and if there was no unforeseen hiccup, the task in hand would stand completed by the end of the next year. In point of fact, this work should have been done long ago but, as they say, better late than never, even now if we put into effect a foolproof border management system we can break the back of terrorism completely.
Our seriousness and Kabul’s non-seriousness in the matter can be gleaned from the fact that while we have set up about 1500 border pickets on our side of the Durand Line, Kabul has hitherto set up only 150 such pickets. Washington always harps on the tune that terrorists from FATA cross over into Afghanistan for committing terrorism but when we tell the American government to come forward and help assist us financially in sealing the Durand Line, it looks the other way, meaning thereby that it doesn’t want peace and tranquility in this region. It knows that if there was a better border management at the Durand Line, India would not be able to operate freely in Pakistan through its agents for disturbing peace and tranquility of Pakistan.
Let us hope that no political expediency would come in the way of fencing the Afghan border. The common man is fed up with terrorism galore in the country and he wants controlled entry of Afghan nationals in Pakistan. It is also fact that there has been a fall in the incidence of acts of terrorism following the trial of terrorists in the summary military courts and hanging of the culprits after their conviction.