Torkham border gate to be completed by Aug. 1
islamabad — The construction of a gate at Pakistan-Afghanistan Torkham border would be completed by August 1 and regular traffic would start within six days of it, Senate Standing Committee on Defence was informed on Monday.
Briefing the committee on PakAfghan border situation, Secretary Defence Lt- Gen. (retd) Mohammed Alam Khattak said the gate would help stop illegal entry into Pakistan as 15,000 to 20,000 people and 900 to 1,200 vehicles daily crossed the Torkham border from both sides.
The secretary defence said the same facility would be provided at other five to six crossing points, including Angoor Adda phase-wise after completion of the Torkham gate. He said Pakistan had been making consistent efforts to formalise the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which, however, were resisted by Afghanistan after being influenced by its local tribes and some other reasons.
On June 12, Khattak said, the Afghan Border Police (ABP) personnel came to the ‘Zero Line’ and asked Pakistani side not to start the construction work and the next day they fired five to six mortar bombs. Pakistan retaliated with small arms without targeting the civilian population unlike Afghanistan, he added.
In reply to a query of Lt-Gen. (retd) Abdul Qayyum, the secretary said the fire was initiated from the local Afghan police.
Committee chairman Mushahid Hussain said the national narrative was to make the Pakistan-Afghanistan border secure and there was no need to ‘over-react’ on the incidents triggered by the local Afghan police.
“Each of us has the responsibility to protect the national interest at every cost,” he added.
The committee was apprised that there were around 88 un-notified crossing points, out of approximately 200. “The border is manageable provided that both the governments are ready for it,” it was told.
The body was informed that Pakistan had an effective and organised border security system as compared to Afghanistan. It had some 800 manned-posts, while Afghanistan had only 60. —