Border flare-up

THE situation on the western border is presenting itself as a fresh security challenge
for the state, as repeated acts of violence, apparently emanating from Afghanistan,
have resulted in an unacceptable loss of life in Pakistan. The fact that the Afghan side
has no qualms about targeting civilian areas is particularly disturbing. In the latest
flare-up, according to ISPR, the Afghan side opened “indiscriminate fire” on civilian
areas in Chaman on Thursday, resulting in at least one death and multiple casualties.
Reportedly, the violence was sparked when Pakistani personnel were repairing a
border fence and came under fire from the Afghan side, with Pakistani forces
returning fire. This incident comes after Sunday’s clash, in which several people were
killed on the Pakistani side. The Afghan Taliban apologised after Sunday’s exchange;
unfortunately, the apology proved quite short-lived as Thursday’s episode illustrated.
This is the third major armed exchange over the past few weeks, as a clash in
November resulted in the closure of the Chaman border crossing for nearly a week.

Border clashes between Pakistani and Afghan forces are not new. For example, they occurred during
both the Hamid Karzai and Ashraf Ghani administrations — governments that weren’t very friendly
towards Pakistan. With the Afghan Taliban taking the reins in Kabul last year, it was perceived that a
more ‘pliant’ regime next door would bring some calm to our western border. As the events of the
past few weeks have shown, this perception was misplaced. The Afghan Taliban are clearly not ‘our
boys’ in Kabul, and can hardly be remote-controlled from Islamabad. Regardless, Pakistan must be
firm with the Kabul regime: cross-border violence has to stop, particularly the targeting of civilians
on the Pakistani side. If the Taliban have concerns regarding Pakistan, flag meetings should be used
to sort out differences, and if matters go beyond that, higher diplomatic channels can be employed to
defuse tensions. But if violent cross-border attacks continue, Pakistan must defend itself vigorously.
The Afghan Taliban may be faction-ridden, with some components hostile towards Pakistan, while
the TTP is a declared enemy of the state. Be that as it may, the Taliban need to put their own house in
order, and any elements that seek to harm Pakistan, or provoke confrontation, must be handled
accordingly by Kabul’s rulers. Due to their hard-line policies, the Taliban are isolated on the world
stage. Creating trouble for Pakistan will only add to their isolation.