Fencing and Pukhtun nationalism

The Article published in Weekly Cutting Edge, Lahore, weeklycuttinged ge.com
weeklycuttin gedge.com/ front%20story% 202.htm


After the announcement by the Pakistan government late last month to go for the fencing and mining of the border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, Pakistan seems to be adamant and has reiterated to start the project within weeks. The decision to fence the Pak-Afghan border, according to Pakistani officials, is the last resort to deflect the vitriolic criticism from Afghanistan, NATO, the US and Western countries, for not doing enough to stop cross-border infiltration of Taliban insurgents from its soil into Afghanistan.
However, the Afghan government has rejected the fencing and mining of the border. There is also strong opposition from important political groups and stakeholders on the Pakistan side of the Durand Line, including the Pakhtoon nationalist parties, the ANP, the PKMAP, the Jamaat-e-Islami and tribesmen's organizations, like the Tanzeem-e-Ittehad- e-Qabail.
As far as the fencing of the 2,450 kilometre Durand Line is concerned, it is almost an impossible task to fence the whole of it. Dr. Azmat Hayat, Director Area Study Centre for Afghanistan, CARs and China, University of Peshawar, who has written a book on the Durand Line, said, "The fencing of the whole Durand Line is not possible but a major part of it can be fenced." However, he said that it would be a multi-billion dollar project.
As the fencing of the entire border is not possible, therefore the fencing and mining would be selectively done. But if this is the case, then fences would not serve the purpose for which ithey are being erected. Because the main purpose of erecting the barriers on the Durand Line is to check the inflow and outflow of Taliban insurgents. Selective fencing means that these militant-insurgents will take the routes that are not fenced. Keeping in view the vigorous militant training of Al-Qaeda and Taliban militants, it will not be difficult for them to continue their cross-border activities.
In fact, the fencing of the Durand Line would have been a good idea had it been carried out at the time of the Soviet presence in Afghanistan, which had resulted in adverse developments on our side of the Durand Line, be it extremism or Kalashnikov culture. Obviously, due to perceived strategic interests of the country, including achieving strategic depth through a friendly Afghan hinterland, the idea never occurred to the Pakistani decision-makers then.
This indicates that Pakistan's policies towards other countries are not satisfactorily formulated, keeping in view the interest of the people, but to appease a superpower. Now, again, we have to make our policy under duress after being pressurized by countries, like Afghanistan. As happened in the past, such policies are bound to fail.
Whether the Pakistan or Afghanistan government publicly admits it or not, the problem between Afghanistan and Pakistan is not limited to Taliban infiltration. The Taliban may be an immediate cause of the strained relationship between the two countries, but the roots of the mistrust lie in history.
The fact of the matter is that behind the Pakistani decision to fence the border and Afghanistan' s opposition to it, lie the disputed nature of the Durand Line. Pakistan's official stance on the issue is that it is an established border while Afghanistan has never recognized it; and since the hundred years of the Durand Agreement concluded in 1993, therefore, it thinks it has the legal right of reclaiming the Pashtoon areas of Pakistan. Even the Taliban regime in Afghanistan refused to renounce that stance over the Durand Line issue when asked by the Pakistani government.
However, for the time being, it is very difficult to appease Hamid Karzai. During discussions with several journalists who recently visited Kabul with Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz, the Afghan President's tone was very harsh. One of the journalists told this scribe that during the joint press conference with Shaukat Aziz, Karzai pointed towards Pakhtoon journalists from Pakistan and said in Pashto that they should tell their government that Afghanistan could no more tolerate Pakistani intelligence agencies? interference in Afghanistan.
On the other hand, Afghanistan' s internal problems seem to be increasing after Mullah Omar's announcement that he would not budge from militancy and oppose foreign troops tooth and nail. In what is said to be the first interview after 9/11, to a Pakhtoon journalist of Pakistan, by the Taliban leader, Mullah Omar said that not only would the struggle of the Taliban continue till the withdrawal or ouster of all foreign troops from Afghanistan, but also to the time when all the institutions established by the Western countries were destroyed.
This is a clear allusion to the Constitution, parliament and the first elected government of Afghanistan. This is simply nonsensical, because no one can deny the importance of such institutions in a war-ravaged country. It is only the manifestation of the frustration of the Taliban and the feeling that in such a dispensation, they may never come again into power even if foreign troops withdraw.
Diametrically opposite to President Musharraf's contention that the Taliban movement has turned into a Pakhtoon nationalist movement, Mullah Omar retorted that their struggle had never been waged on ethnic or sectarian lines and they enjoyed the support of all Muslims of the region. The idea of the Taliban movement being a Pakhtoon nationalist movement does not seem to be true, since neither Mullah Omar nor any Taliban leader has opposed the idea of fencing the Pak-Afghan border

anyone watch kabul express?..i watched it last night...didnt like it at all (kadir khan was a huge dissapointment)...

its sad when pasthuns forget pastho ..

By the way, every third truck driver in Pakistan is a Niazi.

Bushra,
Niazi are a tribe mainly from Mianwali. They speak saraiki but call themselves pushtuns and are actually stricter observant of pushtunwali then some modern pushtuns. Niazi is actually derived from Niazai (like Yousafzai etc). Imran Khan and Attalluh Khan Issakhelvi (singer) call themselves Pushtuns inspite of the fact that the speak Saraiki. Late Nawab of Kalabagh was said to be the strictest governor Punjab has had and he was cheif of Naizi clan. Mianwali was actually part of Pukhtunkhua but was merged into Punjab during Ayub Khan's time.

you ever watch that movies Toopaq zama qanoon? yeah i admit i actually watch some pushto movies...

NO BORDER,,,

Toopaq zama qanoon day
Musharraf da khar bachay day

This is kind of of the topic.

Who are Niazi and Tanoli or Tanawlies?

"Tanawlis are our brothers and we should stop this process of loosing our brothers any more. Yesterday it was Niazi today these Tanawlies and tomorrow Yousafzai. "

I have friends how are of this family/tribe who say the are pashtuns....and i must say they definatly resemble pushtuns...just curious.

what benefit do we have by keeping this border open?

Shafie- Your opinion is very idealistic, apparently, the Afghanis and Indians are blaming Pakistan for the violence in their countries, and for us in order to assume the responsibility and justify our side, we need to have full control of the boarders.

Salaam All....

our "Enligthened Moderated" leader has come up with such a nice humane idea to "Mine the border".
What border ?
I personally think, there should be no border between Pak and Afghanistan, or for that matter, between the whole Islamic bloc countries..

Although, I am not in favor of the fence, but what I really think, we need to have clearly defined boarders with all of our neighbours.

The whole situation is like a double edge sword, it cuts both ways.

Umm it will be sad if the people cant cross the border and visit their families ..

All the afghan leaders seem to agree with each others :D