Border with Afghanistan ‘fully secured,’ DIG Frontier Corps in Pakistan’s northwest says

Pakistani flags (C) and Taliban flag (R) flutter on their respective border sides as seen from the Pakistan-Afghanistan border crossing point in Chaman on August 18, 2021. (AFP)

• Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Thursday Chaman border closed over ‘security concerns’ 
• Islamabad has warned of a militant spillover from Afghanistan after last week’s Kabul blasts by Daesh

ISLAMABAD: Brig. Sajid Majeed, deputy inspector general (DIG) of the Frontier Corps paramilitary force in northwestern Pakistan, has said the Pak-Afghan border had been fully secured after the completion of 98 percent fencing, the construction of 388 new forts and placement of technical surveillance system equipped with drones, the state-run APP news agency reported on Friday.
The statement comes a day after Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said Pakistan had temporarily closed its border with Afghanistan in the southwestern Balochistan province due to “security concerns,” adding that “we will not allow chaos to spread.” 
Pakistan fears a spillover of militancy from Afghanistan after two blasts and gunfire killed over 100 people, including 13 US troops, and wounded hundreds others outside the Kabul airport last week. 
But in a briefing to national and international media about security arrangements, Brig. Majeed said the recent measures had helped control mobility and contain unwanted elements along the 2,611 km Pak-Afghan border. 
“Of the 827km border strip in the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, fencing on 802km had been completed,” Majeed was quoted by APP as saying. “The construction of the remaining 55 forts would be completed by December this year.” 
The official said people with valid travel documents were allowed to enter Pakistan from authorized border crossings, including Torkham. 
“No major refugee influx has been witnessed from Afghanistan following the fall of Kabul,” he said. “We are ready for every challenge. The security situation has significantly improved in the merged areas and patrolling of troops has been enhanced on our side.” 
The official said the increased number of checkposts, use of night vision sight technology and deployment of additional troops had helped protect the long border. 
Commandant Khyber Rifles Col. Rizwan said facilities at the Torkham border terminal had been enhanced and all departments, including the Federal Investigation Agency, National Database and Registration Authority, Civil Administration, police, Anti-Narcotics Force and others, were extending spot services to visitors there. 
“The border crossing was operational round the clock,” Rizwan said.