Mr Latif Pidram, a senior Afghan politician and Chairman of the National Congress Party of Afghanistan (NCPA), gave a statement on the Durand Line on his Facebook page on December 24, 2016. He said: “I believe that Durand Line is a border like any other border of neighbouring countries. There is no dispute on this border.
However, during Karzai’s govt, I had demanded MoFA (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Afghanistan) that if any such dispute exists then it should be taken to the international Court of Justice along with valid legal supporting documents. If you have no supporting legal documents, then I do not accept it as a disputed border. If NCPA came to power, we would accept it as international boundary.”
The statement is certainly a breeze of fresh air coming from a noted Afghan politician. As it is, there is no basis to the Afghan objections to the settled issue of Durand Line. Last year, former Afghan president Karzai had termed the formation of Durand Line a “result of British imperialism” in the region. He said that
"Pakistan government has taken some steps on Durand Line which are angering Afghans". When asked as to why Afghanistan does not approach the UN or International Court of Justice over the Durand Line issue, Karzai claimed it was not an international issue but 'inheritance of imperialism' and only the respective governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan could resolve this issue.
Earlier, John Kirby, the spokesman for the US Department of State, had categorically stated that “It’s the recognised border, and we recognise the borders of Afghanistan.” He added “We don’t have any new policies with respect to the borders of Afghanistan.”
The Durand Line is a 1,400-mile-long border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, established in 1893. It was demarcated following an agreement between Sir Mortimer Durand, a representative of British India, and Abdur Rahman Khan, the Amir of Afghanistan. His successor, Amir Habibullah Khan, signed a new agreement with Britain in 1905 and accepted the legality of the previous accord and the Durand Line.
It should be noted that on the basis of Anglo-Afghan Treaty of 1919, Afghanistan reclaimed its independence. The article five of the treaty firmly and decisively states that Afghanistan accepts all previously agreed border arrangements with India. Thus there is no question of Mr Karzai going anywhere.
An IPS research paper on the subject had stated: “Among the factors responsible for expansion of the dispute on the Durand Line is the lack of information available to the common Afghan. Afghan intellectuals and scholars have tended to blindly support the policy of former governments, unaware of whether or not it is rational. According to some scholars, Afghan governments have adopted this policy deliberately, to indulge the masses with an imaginary enemy and divert their attention from internal issues. Consequently, due to trust and confidence of people in their leaders, intellectuals and media besides the extension of the Durand Line issue; they have inferred that the agreement is free from any legal and moral justification. Thus, even if it desires friendly relations with Pakistan, the Afghan leadership is unable to take any steps in this direction owing to public opposition.”
Some nationalists in the KP also share the views of Hamid Karzai, claiming that one day they would abolish the Durand Line. That is simply impractical and unworkable. Certainly, there are numerous examples of one ethnic group living in several countries in today’s world. If only Mr Karzai would have looked around and read regional history!
