ISLAMABAD (Dispatches) – Pakistan will soon begin the construction of a fence across its porous border with Afghanistan in order to improve security.
The Pakistani army said in a statement on Tuesday that the first phase of fencing would focus on the northwestern tribal regions of Bajur, Mohmand and Khyber.
The military said new forts and border posts would be built in order to improve surveillance and defense.
Pakistan’s restive northwestern tribal region along the border with Afghanistan is regarded by authorities as an area prone to cross-border infiltration.
Pakistan says its recent move to fence the crossings is aimed at curtailing the movement of militants and stopping them from entering the country.
Both countries have long pledged to improve security in the region and go after terrorist groups based in the rugged and mountainous border areas. But the exact location of the border has long been disputed by Kabul.
The Pakistani military has dismissed Afghanistan's criticism of the fencing plan, saying the activity is being performed well inside the Pakistani territory.
Last year, Pakistan started building a barrier at the main border crossing in the northwestern town of Torkham. The move irked the government in Kabul.
The two countries are in a dispute over the demarcation of the border, which is a key battleground in the fight against the Taliban.
Islamabad recognizes the Durand Line, the 1896 British-mandated border between the two neighbors, but Kabul says activity by either side along the line must be approved by both countries.
Successive governments in Afghanistan have never recognized the British-drawn colonial era border line with Pakistan.
Pakistan and Afghanistan regularly accuse each other of sheltering their enemy insurgents. Both sides, however, deny such an allegation.