Pakistan says it has begun building a fence along its border with Afghanistan
According to media reports, Pakistan says it has started building the fence in areas where it says militants have launched cross-border attacks.
General Qamar Javed Bajwa, the head of Pakistan's armed forces, announced the construction of fencing in “high threat zones” Saturday during a visit to tribal regions along the border, saying it was in the interest of both countries, according to ABC News.
Bajwa said Pakistan is trying to develop a bilateral border security mechanism with Afghanistan.
The two countries share a 2,400-kilometer internationally recognized border known as the Durand Line, which was drawn in the 19th century, when the British dominated South Asia.
The Afghan government has reportedly never recognized the border, which runs through the Pashtun heartland, diluting the power of Afghanistan's largest ethnic group on both sides.
Najib Danish, the deputy spokesman for the Afghan Interior Ministry, said authorities had not yet seen any signs of construction along the frontier but would move to prevent any such project.
“Building fences or any construction is not acceptable for us and we won't allow anyone to do it,” he was quoted as saying by ABC News.
Meanwhile, some experts consider that the move to construct fencing could further rile relations between the two countries, each of which blames the other for harboring terrorists.
Relations deteriorated earlier this year after a series of attacks in Pakistan killed 125 people led Islamabad to close its border with Afghanistan for more than a month.
The two countries have exchanged lists of insurgents hiding out on the other's soil.
According to Sky News, Afghanistan has given Pakistan the locations of 23 bases where its Taliban militants are hiding, which it is demanding are closed.
