Pakistan needs a vigilant frontier policy

Security officials say country has to place IBM system for safe borders; country can’t secure it from terrorism without sealing borders

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will have to place Integrated Border Management System (IBMS) for securing its 2,600 kilometer border, especially on the western fronts, in the wake of a terrorist attack on Bacha Khan University in Charsadda.

A senior security apparatus official told The News in background conversation on Sunday that Chief of Army Staff General Raheel Sharif had taken up issues of securing borders in a high-level meeting with the purpose to place foolproof IBMS, requiring close coordination among all law enforcement agencies including the Frontier Constabulary (FC), FIA, Customs and finally the Pakistan Army.

Around 12,000 to 15,000 people cross Torkham border and around 8,000 to 10,000 cross Chaman border on a daily basis and only 150 to 200 cross the border with permission of immigration apparatus. 

In such a situation, the terrorists coming from Afghanistan could easily cross borders without any problem.

Once gate was placed at Torkham border but the Afghans threw it away. “Without sealing borders, we cannot secure our homeland from terrorism,” said one top official of security agency. 

They say the requirements of western frontiers must to be revisited to make it more vigilant. 

It would need to identify structures, capacity building and legal regimes in consultation with Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior. 

 The western frontiers policy should focus on security of frontiers, force multiplier for enhancing trade and yet ensuring our sovereignty. Integrated mechanism of all stakeholders responsible to manage borders and command articulation arrangement can evolve an Integrated Border Management System including restructuring a regime of counter Improvised Explosive Devices and other substances. The security of state depends largely on a vigilant frontier policy. In 1908, Lord Curzon said: “Frontiers policy is of the first practical importance. Frontiers are indeed the razor’s edge in which hangs suspended the modern issues of war or peace, of life or death of nations”.

The international boundaries separate sovereignty of the states. In the past many mighty empires of Asia and Europe disintegrated because of mistaken frontier policies. States must keep their frontiers intact from incursions and protect mainland from border conflicts reaching there. 

The western borders, the official said, are critical for the security and sovereignty of Pakistan. Integrated Border Management Systems must be seen in the context of geographical and historical on milieu. 

The militants continuously penetrate and flout Pakistan’s security. Such a spillover from Afghanistan has become a source of constant insecurity to Pakistan, thus needing enhanced vigilance and control. 

At the time of independence of Pakistan, it confronted new state of defining western frontiers. Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah had a different perspective towards making northwestern borders and gave importance to a phenomenological perspective for maintaining western boundary with appropriate definition, delimitation and demarcation. 

Quaid-e-Azam envisioned a remarkable arrangement, where he blended responsibility of state’s frontier security with independence and sovereignty of people. Given the environment, it worked so well till 1979. 

Now faced with a serious challenge across the borders, our frontier policy must therefore be judged by minimizing the sources of danger to our security and integrity from across the borders.

“We need policy review while asserting our sovereign status, maintain good relations with tribes on both sides thus implying goodwill, sagacity and flexibility,” they said.

The situation doesn’t afford maintenance of status quo. The past policy of appeasement of granting unjustified concessions to tribesmen for loyalty should be replaced with integration of tribes through development.

In our case necessity of territoriality would not be sufficient condition for independent and sovereign statehood.

The security of Pakistan’s borders requires a strategy to make our frontiers vigilant by defining, establishing and maintaining territorial integrity in a manner to minimize the sources of danger to Pakistan’s internal security from across the borders, they concluded.