ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Afghanistan Monday failed to reach any agreement on border management according to officials. The talks followed days of clashes at the border last week that left three dead and thousands stranded, a Pakistani Army Major was also martyred in the unprovoked attack by the Afghan forces..
The fighting broke out when Pakistan started building a barrier at the crossing to stop militants crossing over from Afghanistan. That plan angered Afghanistan, which rejects the Durand Line border drawn up in 1893 and objects to Pakistan building checkpoints along the border.
The two countries agreed on a ceasefire on Thursday, and it was decided that an Afghan delegation led by deputy foreign minister Hekmat Khalil Karzai would visit Pakistan for talks on Monday. Foreign Secretary Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry on Monday informed the Afghan delegation that Pakistan planned to build four gates at different points on the crossing, a Pakistani foreign office official said.
“There was no final agreement but we have informed them (Afghanistan) of our position,” the official said, requesting anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media.
“These gates are important for the safety and security of both Pakistan and Afghanistan.”
A second Pakistani official said the foreign policy chiefs would hold further discussions at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit in Tashkent later this week.
A statement from the Afghan foreign ministry said the talks were held in an “amicable and friendly atmosphere” but said Karzai had raised what it called “various violations” by Pakistan, including setting up checkpoints in Afghan territory.
“Moreover, he strongly protested against Pakistan’s ongoing unprovoked artillery shelling of Afghan villages,” it said.
Thousands of vehicles normally pass through the crossing every week, making it a vital trade link between the countries.
On Monday, dozens of Pakistani traders protested outside the provincial parliament in Peshawar, demanding that Afghan refugees be deported. Pakistan hosts some 1.5 million Afghans who have fled fighting in their home country.
A protest leader said the free movement of Afghans into Pakistan had destroyed peace in the country and needed to be checked.
