A three-member team from the United States will discuss the erection of a fence along the Pak-Afghan border. Pakistan's US-based Ambassador Jehangir Karamat would accompany the US team. Congressman Mark Wood will led the American team. Daily Times reported in its Monday issue that the team would meet the Peshawar corps commander and other officials to discuss the option of erection of a fence along the porous border.
When contacted, the director-general of Inter-Services Public Relations, Major General Shaukat Sultan told IRNA that he had no knowledge of any visit by a US team. "At the moment, I have no knowledge of any US delegation visiting Pakistan. I am sorry," the spokesman of the armed forces maintained. Similarly, Foreign Office Spokesman Naeem Khan was not available for comments on the possible visit.
President of Pakistan General Pervez Musharraf floated the proposal during his recent visit to the United States. He believes that in this way the allegations of cross-border movements could be put to an end.
Kabul reportedly welcomed the proposal and promised to look into it, insisting that demarcation of the border must be done prior to erection of a fence. Pakistan and Afghanistan share a 2400-kilometer-long rugged and porous border.
Pakistan has been denying accusations it is letting unwanted elements cross into Afghanistan to carry out attacks. Islamabad has stationed some 70,000 security forces along the border and beefed up security with the deployment of another 10,000 in the wake of the recent parliamentary elections in Afghanistan. |