ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday said no one will be allowed to illegally cross into Pakistan from Afghanistan in future.
Adviser to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said the government was working on border management to stop illegal border crossings. In a briefing to the joint sitting of Standing Committees of Senate on Foreign Affairs and Defence here, Aziz claimed the United States was supporting Pakistan in border management with Afghanistan. “This is in favour of both Pakistan and Afghanistan. We are ensuring facilities for border crossings with valid travel documents,” he added.
Tensions ran high along the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham as Islamabad erected a gate as a first step to manage borders this year resulting in cross-border skirmishes – killing people on both sides.
The Pak-Afghan militaries were said to have moved heavy weaponry, including tanks, and deployed additional troops to the border, raising fears of more fighting.
Pakistan and Afghanistan blame each other for starting the conflict. Islamabad said its border forces were constructing a gate on their own side to “effectively” deter terrorist and other illegal movements when Afghan security forces resorted to “unprovoked” cross-border firing.
The Afghan government defended the action saying no new construction could be undertaken at the border without mutual consent.
Aziz said Pakistan did not want conflict with Afghanistan and desired to live as a friendly neighbour.
Later, Secretary Foreign Affairs Aizaz Ahmed Chaudhry told the meeting that Pakistan fully supported reconciliation process in Afghanistan for peace in the region.
He said peaceful negotiations with Taliban and Haqqani network were the only solution for peace in Afghanistan.
He said thousands of people daily crossed Pak-Afghan border at Torkham and Chaman border points. He said Pakistan established the gate along Afghan border on its land to check illegal crossings.
Secretary Foreign Affairs said Pakistan supported China’s stance on South Asian Sea. The meeting was told World Bank will provide funds for the construction of crossing points, said a statement.
The meeting was told Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had directed for strengthening Pakistan’s relations with Russia. The government is also trying to improve strategic relations with North and South Korea.
Secretary Defence Zamirul Hassan Shah told the meeting that Pakistan had 2600 kilometers long porous border with Afghanistan and maximum work on Torkham Border management had been completed. The meeting discussed situation arising out of the drone strike against Mullah Mansour and impact on Pak-US security relations.
“Matters relating to foreign policy regarding Western and Eastern European, Far East, Indian Ocean and Central Asian countries were also discussed,” said the statement.
Separately, addressing a news conference yesterday Sartaj Aziz said the writ of the law will be established in Federally-Administered Tribal Areas- hinting at merger of the tribal belt into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
The adviser said report on Fata reforms had been finalised and will soon be presented in the Parliament for debate.
Aziz who is also Chairman of Afata Reforms Committee said people of Fata have been consulted while formulating the report. He said Fata parliamentarians had put forward a 10-point agenda in this regard.
He pointed out that Fata reforms will provide the youth of the area opportunity of development equal to other areas of the country.
He said Fata reforms figured prominently under the National Action Plan formulated for undertaking counter measures against terrorism, as it was infested with armed national and international militant groups, who challenged the writ of the state.
The report has already been presented to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and discussed in a meeting of National Action Plan, where it was agreed to make its finding public to elicit further debate and develop national consensus.
Aziz said the forthcoming sessions of the Senate and National Assembly would also hold a debate and suggestions from all stakeholders would be incorporated to make it more effective.
The committee pointed that the consultation process brought forward four options of transformation of Fata.
These include maintaining of the status-quo with minor changes or granting special status to Fata like Gilgit-Baltistan, creating a separate province for Fata, or integrating Fata into Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province.
Integrating Fata into the KP made more sense keeping in view the close horizontal linkages of agencies and frontier regions with the adjacent settled districts, Aziz said. These trade and economic links were also reinforced by social and cultural consanguinity with Fata tribes, the committee recommendations said.
The committee, constituted by PM Sharif in November last year, includes National Security Adviser Nasser Janjua, Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid and Minister for States and Frontier Regions Abdul Qadir Baloch.