Pakistan uses various tools to disturb tribals along border with Afghanistan: Report

Kabul [Afghanistan], June 20 : Pakistan's policy of disturbing the tribal people along its border regions with Afghanistan has many dimensions, Afghan Diaspora Network reported. The various tools employed by Pakistan include frequent cross-border firings, violation of Afghan airspace through drones, economic blockade, and disputing Afghanistan's sovereignty by issuing National Identity Card (NIC) cards to Afghans in border areas.

It is well known that the Pakistani leadership and the Army never miss a chance of inflicting cruelty on poor tribals on the pretext of the Durand Line, Hamid Pakteen wrote in the Afghan Diaspora Network report.

Afghanistan has not accepted the 2,640-kilometre borderline as it divides traditional Pashtun regions. The tribal groups have said that the Durand line has left them with a fractured identity despite having a common culture and ethnicity.

Pakistan and Afghanistan have had differences on the matter since the formation of the former in 1947. The intensity of firing at the border has been particularly high after the Taliban came to power in August 2021, the report said.

Unilateral establishment of fences and border posts along the disputed border have been a common sight, apparently to counter-terrorism on international borders. The fencing has been painful for Pashtun and Balochi tribal communities living on both sides of the border, including their agricultural land, traditional trade, and movement of labour.

The tools used by Pakistan include harsh economic measures on Afghan people through frequent blockades at Chaman and Torkham which are the major border crossings, affecting the revenue of the Taliban, according to the Afghan Diaspora Network report. In recent years, another tool used by Pakistan involves the issuance of NICs to the residents of Barmal, which is a district in Paktika province in Afghanistan.

The decision of Pakistan has reportedly sparked a strong protest by Afghanistan through its embassy in Islamabad. Afghanistan has said that providing NICs to people is a violation of its national sovereignty and territorial integrity. Kabul is believed to have raised the demand from Pakistan to discontinue the distribution of the cards immediately, warning that it could negatively affect the ties between the two nations.

Afghanistan is believed to have demanded Pakistan discontinue the distribution of the cards immediately, warning that it could negatively impact the diplomatic relations between the two countries, Hamid Pakteen wrote in the Afghan Diaspora Network report. The residents of Barmal are Pashtuns, predominantly from the Kharoti and Wazir tribes.

As per some accounts in the media, over half of them have already been given Pakistani cards which the locals accept as it allows them to visit the other side without facing harassment. The identity cards mention Barmal as the main residence of the cardholders.

In 2019, Barmal district Governor Rahmatullah claimed that 50 per cent of the population in the region had received the card. As per the news report, there were also reports at the time suggesting that the Pakistani curriculum was being taught in the schools of Barmal.

The local officials have urged the Taliban to ensure that the sovereignty of the Taliban is respected, the report said. The actions of Pakistan are viewed to be a manifestation of its annoyance with the Taliban after it seemed to follow independent policies after the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August 2021.

While the Taliban has hinted that any improvement in bilateral ties with Pakistan will only be possible after Islamabad recognizes it. However, Pakistan appears to be pushing their own agenda. Pakistani army's actions at the border have received stiff resistance from the other side.