Pak-Afghan Border Line (merged)

Well said Zaavia and Spock :k:

Zakk, KHARzai was installed as an American Puppet. Now that he is doing the bidding of the Northern Alliance, effectively makes him a fool. Of all the cities in Afghanistan, Kabul is one place where Karzai’s government actually exists and to be unable to control the mobs, is simply unacceptable. He is not the most powerful Pakhtun in Afghanistan, this event proves it all.

The mobs should have realized that their nation has been consistantly taking steps backwards as the world- including Pakistan, is moving ahead. In order for all Afghanis to prosper, they must end all disputes and bickering both within (Pakhtuns vs. non), and outside (Blaming Pakistan, Iran). I thought that Karzai could bring this reconciliation but this event proves otherwise.

More news, relevent parts in bold:

Pakistan closes embassy in Afghanistan
Tue Jul 8, 9:50 AM ET Add World - AFP to My Yahoo!

KABUL (AFP) - Islamabad has closed its embassy in Afghanistan (news - web sites) after a 500-strong mob protesting against alleged border incursions by Pakistani troops attacked and ransacked the premises, ambassador Rustam Shah Mohmmand said.
**
“I have closed the mission unless the Afghan government compensates, number one; unless the Afghan government apologises, number two; unless the Afghan government gives tangible concrete guarantees for the protection of the mission in the future, the mission will remain closed,” he told reporters standing amid smashed glass in the embassy.
**
In Islamabad, the Pakistani foreign ministry summoned the Afghan Charge d’Affair and lodged a strong protest against the attack.
**
The ministry said in a statement that Islamabad told Kabul’s representative that “Afghan authorities were in a position to prevent the attack”.**

It demanded the Afghan government hold an inquiry to assign responsibility for the “deliberate failure of the security forces” to prevent the assault and to identify and to punish the perpetrators.

The ambassador said: "We hold the Afghan government responsible for what has happened for** the fourth time in 15 years.**

“We hold the Afghan government squarely responsible not only for negligence but for stage-managing this show, for creating the environment in which such an attack would take place and then failure to act swiftly to prevent the damage,” he said.

The Pakistan-based private news agency Afghan Islamic Press said the Afghan foreign ministry later issued a statement condemning the attack and announcing compensation for the loss.
**
“The Afghan government created the conditions under which this was made possible,” Mohmmand said referring to a speech by President Hamid Karzai on Sunday.

“It was managed because after the speeches on the 6th of July we were expecting to be attacked.” **

Karzai said Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf had “made certain remarks about Afghanistan which have saddened me”.

Musharraf reportedly said in an interview while in Europe that the Kabul government was not in full control of the country and called for greater representation for minorities.

“Afghanistan neither interferes in anyone’s affairs, nor accepts the interference of others in its own affairs,” Karzai said.

“We have preserved our land with our blood and we will do so again and again.”
**
But Mohmmand said the attack showed the Afghan government was not even in control of the capital.

“When people say the writ of the Afghan government should be extended beyond Kabul, they are right because the Afghan government doesn’t have a writ in Kabul itself,” he said.
**
The ambassador said the mob was well organised, bringing a truck full of stones with which to attack the embassy while Afghan guards supposed to protect the mission actually helped the attackers.

He said the mob smashed the embassy gate and ransacked the mission, which is in the upmarket Wazir Akbar Khan district of north Kabul.

“There were about 500 people, mostly youngsters armed with sticks, some with firearms,” he said.

Embassy staff hid in the basement “otherwise they would certainly have been attacked,” he said.

The windows of eight embassy cars were smashed while televisions, computers and windows were also smashed, including those in the ambassador’s upstairs office.
**
Embassy staff also showed a Pakistani flag, which they said had been set on fire by protesters.
**
The attackers also used sledgehammers to smash down part of the embassy compound wall.

Afghanistan had sent a high-level delegation to investigate reported incursions by Pakistani forces into eastern Nangarhar province. The delegation is expected to return shortly and report to the government.

Islamabad has repeatedly denied allegations that its forces had crossed into Afghan territory.

The foreign ministry statement said the Afghan Charge d’Affair was also told about a pattern of “unjustified official criticism of Pakistan”.

The Pakistan army secured Mohmand tribal area to seal the border because the region had become a refuge for terrorists, it said.

Referring to the news above, I'd like to say that smart odds are on Pres. Mush. government will show a cowardly display of "accepting" the damage without retaliation-- no I don't mean trashing the Afghan embassy. The issue that really ticks me off is the sad display of my fellow Pakistanis in justifying such attacks or keeping quiet. I stand for righteousness regardless of the issue. I am damn certain that every Pakistani would be up in arms had the Indians done the same thing to our embassy in N. Delhi...In order to be taken seriously in the world, we must not be seen as comprimising hypocrites.

Yes, I am more likely to believe Mr. Mohmand our Ambassador to Afghanistan because he is the aggreieved party..it was his office that was destroyed, his staff threatened. As the news article mentioned, Mr. Mohmand is 100% correct in mentioning the vitriol dumped in Pakistan by many Afghan politicians (incidentally many of these very same politicians own property in NWFP/Baluchistan).

Having our mission attacked the fourth time in 15 years is unacceptable to me...apparently most of my Pakistani compatriots are either ignoring this matter willingly or don't have the courage to act. It is sad to see our foriegn service workers be harrassed in this matter and our ambassador's pleas fall on deaf ears. We must take serious action through legal channels or find ourselves open to future attacks.

More news..The ball is in President Mush’s court…Either resolve this matter or end up facing a constant threat on the western border.

http://www.frontierpost.com.pk/topstories.asp#3

MOHMAND AGENCY (Online): Situation here at the border has again become tense, as Pakistani and Afghan forces exchanged firing near Yaqoobi Kandao area on late Tuesday night. The tension, according to sources, was on the rise after Afghan militia launched firing on Pakistani post in Yaqoobi Kandao. Fresh skirmishes between the forces of two the two countries come following the attack on Pakistani mission in Kabul by rowdy elements prompting Afghan President Hamid Karzai to ring up his Pakistani counterpart and tender apology over the incident. Sources disclosed that Afghan militia during their firing used heavy weaponry including rocket launchers, mortar guns and other lethal weapons. Later, Pakistani forces retaliated the Afghan forces firing and destroyed their two bunkers. However, so far no loss of life reported. Reports reaching here from across the border reveal that 300 Afghan militia led by nephew of Governor of Nangrhar province have reached close to the Pakistani post at Habib Kohi. According to some eyewitnesses, Afghan militia had blocked the road in Nanzi Chunia area and impounded vehicles to transport the arms to Habib Kohi. A taxi driver requested anonymity told Online here that forces of Afghan had tortured one driver for failing to comply with their orders.

Thanks for the info RF… The Afghan militia are no for Pakistans forces, which indicates how Pakistan easily got two of their bunkers in a retaliation attack. I hope president Musharraf puts an end to this through the diplomatic channel though.

If karzai or afghans had a proper border security force this could have been avoided at the first place.

they dont have proper control of their side. its easy to blame everything on pakistan,

plus presence of Pak army also disturbing the smuglers in kabul!

still pakistan will act cautiously since it does not want confrontation on both sides of its border india and afganistan.

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by rvikz: *
still pakistan will act cautiously since it does not want confrontation on both sides of its border india and afganistan.
[/QUOTE]

Dont worry, we can handle India ;) We still await the decisive battle ;)

Spock: Ofcourse the Militias are no match for the military, however I would not want them harrassing Pakistani soldiers on the border.

Shah Kills: Thanks for the excellent insight. With the so-called Afghan government of KHARzai unable to even govern Kabul, what expectations can we hold for a non-existant Afghan border force? Also the smuggling element was something that I had not thought of.

Just to show that we will not be uncivilized in our retaliation, the Pakistan government has posted paramilitary in front of the Afghan Consul in Peshawer.
[thumb=C]picfront.JPG[/thumb]

(Photo courtesy of Frontier Post)

Also some news from Torkham:

http://www.frontierpost.com.pk/topstories.asp#7
F.P. Report TORKHAM: Pakistani authorities Thursday have sealed the Torkham border with Afghanistan after the recent rampaging of Pak mission in Kabul by an unruly mob. The closure of the gate at Torkham has rendered hundreds of Afghan families languishing on their side of the border, while reports have suggested that dozens have illegally crossed over into Pakistan via Shmshad terrenes. Talking to journalists, the security staff at the border said that only those Afghans are allowed to enter Pakistan who possess proper documents. Scores of Afghan families including women and children across the Torkham border are line up in droves to enter into Pakistan.

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Zakk: *
RF: Salams (PM'ed you btw!), the crowd was quite small and was definitely non Pukhtoon if you look at the picture. While the border needs to be sorted out, these kinds of attacks show the Northern Alliance definitely wants to settle scores.
[/QUOTE]

Not factually correct. While it is conveniant for us to blame the largely non-Pashtun NA forces for the violence in Kabul, it is only half of the story. The clashes along the border have been in Pashtun area's and only the other day a large anti-Pakistani rally was held in the staunchly Pashtun city of Kandahar, which included the brother of Karzai as one of the leaders. We have to face upto the fact that whether Pashtun or non-Pashtun there is anti-Pakistani sentiment among all groups quite equally in Afghanistan.

I don't deny the Anti Pakistan sentiment among the population of Afghanistan, but the event was definitely staged, the use of English signs in places with high illiteracy like afghanistan were an obvious tell-tale sign of offical backing.

Mind you Pakistan's High Commission has a history of attacks by rioters.
Pakistan-Afghanistan relations have been a mes since the beginning.

Tension remains on the border…

Afghan-Pakistan Border Tensions Remain as Clashes Continue

Border tensions between Afghanistan and Pakistan showed no sign of easing down on Saturday as troops of the two neighbors continued exchange of fire across the border,a military commander in eastern Afghanistan said.

Abdul Zahir, commander of Afghan border troops in the eastern border province of Nangarhar, said that armed clashes between the two sides lasted for about one hour near a border post in Yegobi district of the province, about 150 kilometers from Kabul.

**The Afghan border troops in the end warded off the offensives by Pakistan troops, the commander was quoted by state-run Bakhtar Information Agency (BIA) as saying. **

Clashes across the Afghan-Pakistan border in recent weeks sent bilateral relations to a multi-year low last week when thousands of Afghans took to the street in Kabul, protesting against the alleged border incursions by Pakistan troops.

Pakistan lodged a formal protest and threatened to close down its embassy in the Afghan capital on Tuesday after some angry students attacked the embassy with stones and stormed into its compound.

**After Afghan President Hamid Karzai made a telephone apology to his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf for the mob rampage, Pakistan has agreed to reopen the embassy after necessary repairing of its damaged property.

Karzai has also promised to Musharraf that the Afghan government would pay compensation for the physical loss incurred by the embassy and bring those responsible for the attacks to justice. **

Three students were arrested for their links with the violence agaisnt the embassy, Afghan authorities said on Saturday.

:smokin2:

Finally, there’s a cease-fire on the border…

Pak-Afghan forces agree on cease-fire in Mohmand agency

MOHMAND AGENCY, July 15 (Online): **Pakistan Forces and Afghan militia have agreed on cease fire on Pak-Afghan borders in Mohmand agency and Pakistan suggest joint investigation to end Pak-Afghan border tension. **

Following the enforcement of truce, Pakistani troops have begun development projects including construction of 12-kilometre road from Bhai dag to Lalpura.

A week long clashes between both the sides came to halt early in Monday morning with leading to opening up of Kodo khel-Lalpura road for traffic.

The residents of the area have warned the Afghan miscreants that if they resort to firing again, the local population will side with Pakistan army.

The tribesmen held talks with Pakistani troops and demanded for a cease fire to be put in place. All the guns remained silent as a result of cease-fire.

Former senator, Abdul Rehman Faqir, president of Tribal Union of journalists also visited the front lines.

Pakistani survey team has arrived there and is engaged in demarcating Pakistani territory so that the Afghan authorities complaints are removed.

Pakistan says it was ready to cooperate with Afghanistan to end Pak-Afghan border tension hoping that the dispute is resolved amicably.

“Neither the Afghan government wants any fighting on the borders nor does the Pakistan government want this. It is absolutely meaningless to say that Pakistani troops have entered into Afghan. At the higher level no body wants this neither in Pakistan nor in Afghanistan,” Pakistan ambassador to Afghanistan, Rustam Shah Mohmand said in an interview with BBC.

He denied the allegations levelled by some Afghan officials that the Pakistani troops started the clash and that they have occupied some villages of Naginhar. He added this is happening because of some misunderstanding at local level on the border.

“Pakistani government had suggested that representatives of both the countries should jointly investigate the matter whether Pakistani troops had crossed Afghan border or not,” Rustam Shah said.

He said that Pakistan was making all out efforts to curb the cross border infiltration of extremists but its troops had not crossed the Afghan border.

To a question concerning Afghan refugees in Pakistan, he said Pakistan embassy was issuing 200 to 750 visas every day but during the attack Pakistan’s consulate section was completely destroyed and the staff was unable to start functioning the next day.

“We are reorganizing our embassy. We shall try to reopen the embassy as soon as possible. We are also demanding of the Afghan government to make security arrangement around Pakistan embassy on permanent basis,” he maintained.

Pak ambassador said it is the fourth time that the Pakistan embassy has been attacked and destroyed. He however, said Afghan government has assured them of security on permanent basis.

To a question he said Pakistan is ready to cooperate with Afghanistan to end the tension between the two countries emerged after the reports that Pakistani troops had allegedly violated the Afghan border.

To another question he said Pakistan had sent its troops to the Mohmand agency on the request of Afghan government adding operations were aimed at to stop the activities of Taliban and Al-Qaeda suspects in the border areas.

Current ongoing conflict would not affect the relations of the two countries and neither the Taliban nor Al-Qaeda would be left to take undue advantage of the conflict, he asserted.

Pakistani ambassador said the border dispute would not herald any major conflict between the two countries.

:smokin2: