Date:04/02/2007 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2007/02/04/stories/2007020402311200.htm

International

Parts of Durand Line to be mined

Nirupama Subramanian

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf, who announced on Friday that Pakistan would go ahead with selective fencing and mining of its border with Afghanistan, described the barrier coming up on the Indian border as "very effective" but expensive and manpower-intensive.

Faced with international criticism over the decision to selectively mine and fence the Durand Line to prevent cross border movement of militants, Gen. Musharraf said minefields, on the other hand, were easier to execute, could be cleaned up easily, and did not need to be manned.

"When you fence it has to be manned, otherwise it can be cut by a simple wire-cutter.

Effective strategy

"Therefore, every 200 yards, it has to be manned... We know the Indian fence. The Indian fence is a double fence — on the Pakistani side higher, and on the Indian side lower, and there are triple concertina wires going in between. Every 200 yards there is a searchlight and an observation post, manned, and there are gates across. It is very effective, and that is why they spent billions by fencing 1500 miles of the border and they are doing the same in Kashmir. It's effective," Gen. Musharraf at a press conference. But minefields, marked off by danger signs and low barbed wire fencing could be as effective, he said. As minefields had definite patterns, the engineers planting the mines could clear them at any time.

Pakistan was conscious of international sensitivities about mines, and would therefore fence and mine only a small portion of 35.2 km of its 2,400-km long border with Afghanistan.

Asked about the finality of the Durand Line as the international border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, he categorically ruled out any changes.

Afghanistan does not accept the Durand Line as the border but Kabul has never openly challenged it.