by Muhammad Ali Raza 29 June 2023
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of IEA has announced that a joint committee will be established between the consular section of the ministry and the Pakistani embassy in Kabul in order to facilitate the movement of nationals between the two countries. Setting up a joint committee for cross-border movement by IEA is a welcoming development and shows a positive trajectory of ties between the two countries. Pakistan and Afghanistan shared the longest border of 2611 kilometers. It starts from the northern region of Pakistan Gilgit-Baltistan and runs along the mountainous terrain of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and ends in Balochistan Province. Pakistan and Afghanistan have a shared economic and cultural destiny. Both nations since 1947 have fostered the relations when Sardar Najeebullah special envoy of His Majesty King Zahir Shah, came to Karachi in November 1947. In May 1958, a transit agreement was signed between the two countries providing for improved facilities for the passage of Afghan goods because Pakistan being part of the Geneva Accord was obliged to provide transit to sea to the landlocked country of Afghanistan. It was the first step for Pakistan to facilitate the Afghan community and boost its economic ties with Afghanistan. At that, time there were only two border crossing points to facilitate the Afghan community for cross-border movement in which trade was the most important one at that time. These crossings at that time were Torkham and Chaman, which were later included in Afghanistan Pakistan Trade Agreement (APTTA) 1965. APTTA agreement was one of the major efforts by Pakistan in the region to facilitate Afghanistan trade products to reach the international markets through the sea lane of communications. One of the major steps that Pakistan had taken in the APTTA Agreement 1965 was that it didn’t impose any customs duties or levy fees on traffic in trade transit.
However, during and after the Soviet invasion Pakistan helped the Afghan citizen by providing them with refugee and safe passage through these cross-border checkpoints. It is why most Afghan refugees are usually found in Peshawar near the Torkham crossing point popular and second busiest crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan after the Chaman crossing point, which is one of the busiest border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan. In 2010 Pakistan and Afghanistan revived the APTTA agreement which needed the much-required legal cover in this new Agreement Pakistan agreed to facilitate Afghan citizens and trade on a daily basis via five border crossings these were Chaman, Torkhum, Kharlachi, Ghulam Khan, and Angoor Ada. These border crossings even after the fall of Kabul are still operational.
Pakistan currently serves daily visas for work purposes and medical basis to Afghan citizens through these border crossings. It also allowed the trade movement through these border points to facilitate Afghanistan in its hard times despite Pakistan has also been suffering through economic difficulties at home. Daily to-and-fro movement at Pak-Afghan CPs stands at approximately 13,000 which includes crossing of pedestrians, patients, traders, tourists, and transporters. Monthly movement at Pak-Afghan CPs stands at approximately 3, 85,000 passengers in addition to hundreds of trade convoys. Despite fewer resources and strength, Pakistan is manning over 100 counters at the crossing points to ensure the smooth processing of a heavy inflow of cross-border movement. No other bordering country has such an exodus at their border crossings. About 79 counters are placed at Chaman and Torkham, the busiest CPs.
Though Pakistan has Integrated Border Management System (IBMS) in place at main crossings, which supports the One Document Regime (valid visa/ passport). However, to facilitate their Afghan brethren, Pakistan also allows a large no of Afghans especially patients, journalists, women, and traders to cross the border on Tazkera (non-valid) documents on humanitarian grounds. There are exclusive counters at crossing points that have been operational for Afghan patients and women only. Afghans entering Pakistan either on valid or invalid documents are allowed to extend/ renew their status to stay in Pakistan. Border crossing for Afghan brethren even without passports to earn a livelihood, visit a relative, address any medical emergency, or get an education is an exclusive offer extended by Pakistan, which no other neighbor offers. As per official data, due to insufficient documents about 5-6 thousand Afghan nationals are refused entry every month for obvious reasons. A few among those who refused Afghans falsely create a negative impression about mistreatment by Pakistani authorities at border crossing points.
Afghanistan is right now in a disastrous humanitarian crisis and Pakistan is the only country that is raising its voice for the Afghans on international platforms. Setting up of task team between Pakistan & Afghanistan is the right step toward improving bilateral ties while restricting the movement of militant groups & putting an end to allegations of cross-border incursions. A joint team for Pakistan-Afghan border management was a much-needed arrangement to improve security checks and boost prospects for bilateral growth and development.