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Senior officials and military officers of Pakistan and Afghanistan are scheduled to meet in Kabul on Tuesday under the high level consultation mechanism for coordination on border management and related security issues, the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad said.
Forces of the two countries had been involved in the exchange of heavy fire at Torkham, one of the official and busiest border crossings, that resulted in casualties on both sides. Such border skirmishes have raised serious concerns about their negative impact on the security situation in both countries, which are still facing the challenges of violent extremism.
The problem started in June following Pakistan's decision to introduce a new mechanism that made it obligatory for all Afghan nationals to carry passports and visas as a prerequisite for entering Pakistan.
Earlier thousands of Afghans would cross the border daily into Pakistan without legal travel documents, which was a matter of concern for Pakistan, as militants would take advantage of the unchecked cross-border movement.
Pakistani Taliban militants involved in major attacks, including the 2014 terrorist attack on the army-run school in Peshawar, had entered Pakistan via the Torkham border point, according to Pakistani military spokesman, Lt Gen Asim Bajwa. Islamabad had no option, therefore, but to put in place a border management mechanism to stop the illegal movement of the militants.
It has subsequently been observed by both military officials and analysts that terrorist attacks in Pakistan have decreased after the introduction of the new border management system.
As Pakistani forces are now in the final phase of a major military operation against the Taliban groups in the North Waziristan tribal region, security officials consider a strict border monitoring system as being essential to avoid any harm to the achievements against the armed group.
The country's Army Chief, General Raheel Sharif, has declared 2016 as the end of the military offensives, stating that Pakistan will not compromise on the security of its border along with Afghanistan.
Most of the nearly 2,600 kilometer Pak-Afghan border is porous and both countries are required to cooperate on its security. For its part, Afghanistan had also long-been complaining of the arrival of militants from Pakistan's territory.
As both sides have the same problem, they will have to agree on some sort of effective system to stop the movement of the militants, analysts have suggested.
The emergence of the Islamic State, or Daesh group in Afghanistan poses another major challenge for both countries and the region.
Led by a former top Pakistani Taliban leader, Hafiz Saeed Khan, the group is trying to destabilize the region with their activities. Daesh initially established its bases in the eastern Afghan province of Nangarhar that borders with Pakistan. The group has now reached Kabul and killed nearly 80 people on Saturday in the first and deadliest attack since 2001.
Pakistan also plans to gradually introduce the border management system along the other crossings including Chaman in southwestern Balochistan.
The first meeting of the Pakistani and Afghan officials in Kabul on Tuesday is important to listen to each side's suggestions on how to strengthen monitoring of the border.
Afghanistan has some reservations about Pakistan's moves as it insists Pakistan has made some unilateral decisions. Afghan officials could push for its stance on the matter and both could reach an understanding on the sensitive issue, however, experts have proffered.
Credit goes to the leadership of both countries to agree on a negotiated settlement with the formation of the high level bilateral mechanism for consultation and coordination on issues including security, cross-border movement of people and vehicles between the two countries.
Pakistan's Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz and Afghan Foreign Minister Salahuddin Rabbani had provisionally agreed on the formation of the bilateral mechanism in their meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization summit in Tashkent late last month.
(APD)
