Afghan-Pak border tension flares again

KANDAHAR CITY (Pajhwok): Pakistani security forces have allegedly started the construction of military installations at the Zero-Point along the Durand Line well inside southern Kandahar province, officials claimed on Sunday.

A team of experts has been sent to the area in Maroof district to investigate the matter, the acting spokesman for the governor said.

But Dawa Khan Minapal would not go into details.

He said militant activities in Kandahar had increased due to the rise in cross-border movement of rebels.

A spokesman for the Kandahar Police Department, Ghorzang Afridi, claimed Pakistani forces had started constructing new bunkers in Zero Point areas of Ala Jirga and Shadi Khak.

The Maroof district chief, Toryalai, said all information about what was going on along the Durand Line had been shared with provincial and central authorities.

He said he could not share information with the media without the consent of provincial authorities.

But a border police commander, Rangin, alleged Pakistani forces had entered one kilometer into Afghanistan’s territory. He said a delegation of tribal elders, who held talks with Pakistani security officials, had returned disappointed.

Last year, Pakistani forces attempted to install a security gate and construct a wall in the Goshta district of eastern Nangarhar province, triggering an exchange of fire with Afghan forces.

nh/ma

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