PAK-AFGHAN BORDER: DEMARCATION AND MANAGEMENT

Abstract

Pak-Afghan relations have many drivers but the foremost have always been security issues, sovereignty concerns, border dispute,
and connectivity. The two countries have had a fragile relationship for the last seven decades owing to the Durand Line dispute. The
border dispute has been a source of constant deliberations and mostly contested by Afghan politicians, policy makers, and
scholars. Controversies and uncertainties are therefore prevalent about the border. This research is based on the analysis of primary
documents to address the issue academically, and it discusses the detailed history of demarcation and issues in border management.
Islamabad has launched Integrated Border Management System to secure its border from illegal border crossing and smuggling.
Afghanistan has not formulated such a strategy. It continues to oppose the existence of Durand Line, which makes cooperation between the two sides—vital to overcome the menace of terrorism and other serious issues—difficult.