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Pakistan takes foreign officials to border with Afghanistan
Islamabad, July 31: In a bid to convince the world that its troops did not incur into Afghanistan soil, Pakistan has taken 14 foreign diplomats including from the US to visit the Durand Line that divides the two countries.
Islamabad, July 31: In a bid to convince the world that its troops did not incur into Afghanistan soil, Pakistan has taken 14 foreign diplomats including from the US to visit the Durand Line that divides the two countries.
Military attaches from 14 embassies in Islamabad were flown to the border between Afghanistan and Pakistan in Mohmand Tribal Agency for an aerial view of the Durand Line, media reported today.
Once there, the diplomats from western and Asian countries met tribal elders, including those belonging to the border area, which Pakistan Army and the Paramilitary Frontier Corps entered for the first time since independence in 1947.
The diplomats included those from US, Germany, Australia, Poland, the Philippines and Bangladesh. Members of a committee constituted by the tripartite commission of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the US had visited the border area on Tuesday to ascertain the ground situation.
The Afghan government reportedly objected to four points on the border where Pakistani troops had allegedly occupied territory inside Afghanistan. Two of the major points were Yaqubi Kandao and Sirala Sar at Ziarat, both high peaks on the Durand Line. The Pakistan government offered to show these places to the members of the committee and enabled them to use the Ground Positioning System (GPS) to ascertain the watershed that serves as the border between the two countries. The border dispute has led to frequent exchange of fire between Afghan and Pakistani forces since late June when Pakistan Army and frontier corps established about a dozen posts on the Durand Line. The dispute also triggered anti-Pakistan protests in several Afghan cities, including an attack on the Pakistan embassy in Kabul.
Bureau Report
The diplomats included those from US, Germany, Australia, Poland, the Philippines and Bangladesh. Members of a committee constituted by the tripartite commission of Afghanistan, Pakistan and the US had visited the border area on Tuesday to ascertain the ground situation.
The Afghan government reportedly objected to four points on the border where Pakistani troops had allegedly occupied territory inside Afghanistan. Two of the major points were Yaqubi Kandao and Sirala Sar at Ziarat, both high peaks on the Durand Line. The Pakistan government offered to show these places to the members of the committee and enabled them to use the Ground Positioning System (GPS) to ascertain the watershed that serves as the border between the two countries. The border dispute has led to frequent exchange of fire between Afghan and Pakistani forces since late June when Pakistan Army and frontier corps established about a dozen posts on the Durand Line. The dispute also triggered anti-Pakistan protests in several Afghan cities, including an attack on the Pakistan embassy in Kabul.
Bureau Report