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The talk of Brig Gul, in verbatim follows. “Geography and History are two factors that together determine our identity, our neighbors, what we eat, make us aware of who we are, how do we look, dress, think and view the region, indeed the entire world. We are prisoners of our geo-historic environment. Balochistan Province has two neighbors – Iran and Afghanistan, besides the Arabian Sea in the south. All three constitute provincial borders, but Iran and Afghanistan, being two nation-states , more intimately concern Balochistan and indeed, Pakistan. For  these reasons several  questions arise; how are these borders being managed, how do they affect inter-state connectivity, what are the political and socio-economic issues and what seems to be the way ahead? The aim of the talk is to explain in broad perspective the geo-historic real ities and existing status of this region. The sequence of the talk is, a) regional geography, b) regional history, c) the post-Soviet and American invasion history, and d) Future Policy for Border Management – Suggestions.

Regional Geography

The terrain of Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan astride our borders for hundreds of kilometers  is mountainous,  semi-desert, and arid. Rain is scarce and the weather extremely harsh. In the winters freezing howling winds and, in the summers, scorching hot sand storms are the norm. Mountainous, rocky land and sandy plateaus without water make living very hard. Since the ancient times, the only vocation possible in these areas were pastoral life and trade caravans, including the looting of these caravans. Between Pakistan and Afghanistan, an undulating mountain range of Kakar Khorasan starting from the Hindu-Kush range from Chitral, running South West up to Panjpai, then Westward up to Rabat, a small outpost, where it touches Iran, defines the border, c01mnonly called the Durand Line. The border generally runs along the ridges, but it is negotiable at hundreds of places. Similarly, there is no natural obstacle defining the Pakistan-Iran border which generally runs through a few hills and semi-desert rolling ground north-south from Jiwani on the Arabian Sea to Rabat, north of Taftan. These inhospitable, barren, non-productive lands never attracted invaders but being porous, facilitated the passage of great invaders to East or West to fertile lands acting as corridors of invasions. To survive in these inhospitable lands, tribes lived a nomadic life, in small clans, or in small villages, which continues even now. This unkind, harsh geographical reality makes people living astride the borders very hardy, but also very poor. They continue their ancient business of trade, which much to their surprise and annoyance, is now called ‘smuggling’ by the frustrated governments astride the present borders. This trans-frontier movement is also used by anti-state elements, terrorists, and flourishing narcotic-business creating serious inter-state conflicts. Now, a few words about the heritage of our history.

Regional History

Historically, the oldest mention of our three countries which did not have these names till recently is made in 550 B.C.E., when Cyrus the Great iises from Persia and establishes the Achaemenids Empire, the fust World Empire stretching from Egypt to the Indus valley, from Babylon to Bacteria, Central Asia and the Caucasus. The map can be found at Annex P.

Some 200 years later, Alexander the Great conquered all these lands and more. After his death, one of his Generals Seleucus founded Seleucid Empire stretching from Indus Valley to Mesopotamia, Anatolia, Bacteria, and Central Asia. The map can be found at Annex Q. Then for the next 2,000 years’ successive invasions took place through our countries, frequently altering political maps beyond our countries. The last most significant invader was Nadir Shah Afshar/Qachar of Persia. In 1739, he annexed all the lands west of the river Indus after ransacking Delhi and capturing the Mogul Empire. In 1742, he renamed Eastern Persia into Seistan Balochistan and named the high plateaus finiher eastward, as Kalati Balochistan where mostly Brahui tribe, a Dravidians stock lived.

The map can be found at Annex R.

It was till then part of southern Khorasan . Khorasan is generally the same area, which was called Ariana after the conquest by Greeks, and the British somewhere in the 1840s started calling it Afghanistan. With the death of Nader Shah in 1747, the Afshar Empire started disintegrating. Ahmad Shah Abdali, one of his Generals from the Pashtun Sadozai tribe around Kandahar, declared the independence of Khorasan and created the First Kingdom of Qandahar. It was not named Afghanistan. He expanded his rule from the Arabian Sea to Khanate of Bukhara, West to Herat, East to Kashmir and north India, and capturing Delhi in 1761 after defeating the Marhatas. The Kalati Balochistan, also called Turan, was handed over to a Brahui from Ghandawah south of Sibi, Mir Nasir to rule as bis vassal.

The map can be found at Annex S.

The Great Game – Anglo-Afghan Wars

In 1838 to ward off threats from Czarist Russia and France, what became known as the Great Game, the colonial British in India moved their army to their northwest frontiers. Through two successive invasions of Afghanistan and aggressive diplomacy with Persia, they snatched Kalati-Balochistan from Afghanistan and brought it under them as a vassal state. In 1843, the British captured Sindh, bringing it under their direct rule through a Governor. By end of the 19th Century, they created new borders which more or less continue to date.

The map can  be found at Annex T, and Annex U

Kalati-Balochistan and Seistan- Balochistan

The border between Kalati-Balochistan and Seistan-Balochistan had been announced by Nader Shah in 1742 with general reference to villages but never marked. In 1864, the Imperial British India, now fully in control of Kalati Balochistan and their northwestern frontier in India, surveyed, negotiated with the Shah of Persia, and marked the border between Kalat State and Iran.

The map can be found at Annex V.

 I must add here that the states of Kharan, Mekran, and Bella were created later on the behest of the British, and all were later called as Federation of Kalat States. Pakistan inherited this border on Independence. In 1961, President Ayub Khan and the Shah of Iran agreed to review this border and some adjustments were made. Pakistan and Iran have no border dispute.

After Attaullah Mengal’ s govt was removed by Bhutto in 1973, an insurgency started in protest in Southern and Northeastern Balochistan. The foreign sponsored Pakistani Baloch separatists often hide in Seistan while the American-sponsored Jundullah and other separatist Iranian sectarian groups find hideouts in Pakistan’s Kalati-Balochistan. The Iranian border, besides smuggling concerns, especially narcotics from Afghanistan, remains the target of militants and requires strict military watch.

Border Between Pakistan and Afghanistan

In 1947, the border Pakistan inherited with Afghanistan is called Durand Line.

The map can be found at Annex W.

 It has, however, not been accepted by Afghanistan. Incidentally, Afghanistan was the only country that voted against Pakistan becoming a member of the UN in 1947. In 1948, Afghanistan convened a Loya Jirga and passed a law canceling the border

agreements with the Colonial British, which had given birth to a borderline called the Durand Line and laid claim to KP and Balochistan. Afghanistan even appointed Faqir of Api as the Head of this new province they called Pashtunistan. Pakistan, barely stable due to its creation as a new state without any support from the British colonial masters tried diplomacy, but Afghanistan continued one-sided aggressive diplomatic conflict with Pakistan. It tried for decades to carve out a ‘Pashtunistan ‘ by force launching several minor border incursions from across the border opposite Chaman and right up to Chitral. But militarily and economically, it was too weak to make an impact and the UN and other world bodies refused her claim on Pakistan ‘s territory. Besides, the people of intended ‘Pashtunistan’ were not inclined to join Afghanistan.

The Durand Line

The conflict on the Durand Line lingers on. This needs explaining the genesis of this 2,670km long internationally recognized border between Pakistan and Afghanistan, called the Durand Line. Towards the end of the 19th century when the European major powers finally gave up on the Great Game, the ambassadors of the Czar of Russia, Shah of Persia, King of Afghanistan Amir Abdul Rehman, and the British Government met in London and agreed to keep Afghanistan as a Buffer State between Russian Empire and Imperial British-India. On 12 Nov 1893, through  mutual  agreement, the  entire boundary  of Afghanistan, with Persia in the west and Khanates of Central Asia in the north and India in the East and South was drawn in London , as per the British historians.

Some later­-day historians say, it was signed in Kabul, but that is not correct. Itwas named after  Sir  Mortimer  Durand, the  lead  diplomat  of  British-India, while  the Ambassadors  of  the  Russian  Czar, Shah  of Persia, and Afghanistan  were present.

The British even ceded the northern  strip of Chitral called Wakhan­ Corridor to Afghanistan to ensure that no Czarist-Kbanate touched the Colonial British-India. Incidentally,  the Afghans  generally  do not  know  that Durand Line defines their complete national  boundary  and not just  the border with Pakistan.

Through mutual agreement, the Durand Line had allowed annexing some parts of then Afghanistan, bifurcating some Baloch and Pashtun tribes, annexing  some parts  of northern  Sindh, and naming  it British-Balochistan. British Balochistan also included FATA and Dera-Jaats for some years.

Implications of the Durand Line

The British marked the border on militarily defensible mountainous terrain, which was strategically correct, but socio-economically a disaster. Both the British and the Afghan King completely ignored the ethnic and racial presence of local tribes living there for centuries through whom this new border  cut through. In places, the Durand Line even ran through Pashtun villages in Balochistan. FATA and Dera-Jaat were later included in British India. FATA was allowed tribal-run semi-self-governance, loosely overseen by a British Political Agent. This practice was continued by Pakistan till 2018 when finally, the FATA was merged into KP and the tribal-run governance was replaced by integrating it with the democratically run province.

Colonial Political Maps

Arbitrarily drawing the political maps suiting the colonial powers was typical of the colonial period. Much of the post-colonial world has been grappling with sin1ilar political maps in Asia and Africa. Should we let the cramping effect of this on our nations go on for another 100years? Or should we accept the Durand Line as the border, something the world accepts, and think of managing it for the good of the people on both sides? Total population of Afghanistan is 38 million, with Pashtuns about 17 million. Pakistan’s population is 220 with Pashtuns about 80 million. Our Afghan brothers ought to mull over it.

Post-Soviet & American Invasion History Treatment of Afghan Refugees

The post-Soviet and then-American invasion periods are fresh in our memories. All I wish to re-capitulate is, that millions of Afghan refugees who walked into Pakistan in the 1980s were treated as brothers. They were allowed to own properties , run businesses, and be treated with hospitality typical of Pashtunwali, the Code of Pathans, not only in the Pashtun areas but indeed, all over Pakistan. Refugee camps were established much later only to seek help from the UNHCR. From the high of 4 million, some 1.5 million registered Afghan refugees are even now present in Pakistan. Nearly the same number is perhaps present without registration. Intermarriages have taken place. A whole new generation of children, indeed, the second generation of children now have been born to the refugees, educated, and grownup in Pakistan.

Adverse Impact on Pakistan’ s Culture

During the Soviet occupation, Pakistan’s society adversely suffered from Kalashnikov and Drug culture and the sporadic bombings and missile attacks by Kl1adamat-e Aetla’at-e Dawlati, for short, KHAD. It only worsened during the American occupation, which unfortunately continued till 3 July 2021, with different proxies carrying out militancy and tenor acts in Pakistan. Pakistan became a target of incessant terrorism by the TTP, the Indian RAW, the NDS, and for years even by American Drone attacks, losing nearly 80,000 lives in the last 19 years. Economically, the loss is conservatively estimated at the US $ 150 billion. Due to Pakistan Armed Forces’ counter operations, militancy and terrorism have greatly reduced in magnitude. Yet all the 5th GW tactics continue to be in progress against Pakistan sponsored by Pakistan’s foreign enemies. Now that the Americans have finally evacuated Afghanistan, with an indecent haste, without a political solution for ensuring a peaceful Afghanistan, a civil war with much bloodshed is once again looming in Afghanistan which will have adverse fallout in Pakistan.

Conclusions from History

I now wish to share with you some major conclusions from this recapitulation of the history of our three countries. The most significant conclusion I wish to point out is, that Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan have been one country, one people for well over 2000 years of known history . Our rulers, our heroes, our poets, our folklore, our achievements, our food, our culture, our weather, our hardships, much of our history, our languages, and even our religion are the same. Pakistan considers Iran and Afghanistan brotherly nations and will never join their enemies.

I keep hearing that some Afghans are unhappy with Pakistan, perhaps due to misunderstandings or enemy propaganda. However, Pakistanis do not have any reciprocal hard feelings. Afghans move freely all over Pakistan and are treated like brothers. Despite some suicide bombers traced back to Afghanistan, killing hundreds in Pakistan, and some terror acts/Indian spies traced back to Iranian territory, an average Pakistani does not hate Afghans or Iranians. Yes, our borders are porous; some Taliban were accused of bombings and killings in Afghanistan and could have gone from Pakistan, but not with our help. Let’s manage our porous borders with an eye on our history, feet firmly in present, and hope for a better future. Let’s not act in anger due to a few isolated, unhappy violent criminal acts of some misguided or paid terrorists.

Future Policy for Border Management – Suggestions

One-sided policy, without a doable strategy, no matter how imperative, will just not succeed. These ideas ought to be followed by several, indeed, regular tripartite negotiations to arrive at and refine Policy-Imperatives and hammer out doable strategies. I wish to suggest the following Policy Imperatives for consideration:

1. There can be no country without borders. We must respect each other’s borders.
2. Iran and Afghanistan are historically very close and special to Pakistan. We must treat each other with special consideration.
3. Neighbors can have indigenous conflicts and disagreements. But in our peculiar regional environment, the geopolitical aspirations and geostrategic dynamics of foreign powers have been and will continue to germinate, create and foment conflicts amongst us. Special political, diplomatic, military-to-military, and people-to-people contacts must be maintained to thwart such nefarious overt and covert acts.
4. The mutual blame game must end. Every act of ten-or in Afghanistan gets blamed on Pakistan never mind which anti-government element commits it.
5. Similarly, most ten-or acts in Pakistan get blamed on TTP allegedly being protected by the Taliban in Afghanistan.
6. To a much lesser degree, terror activities also take place astride Iran­-Pakistan borders due to ethnic and separatist elements of each other or local activists supported by foreigners.
7. Region-wise Bilateral Investigation Teams with hotlines must be created and maintained to help investigate in quick time and mitigate the possibility of escalation and recurrence.
8. Border violations by Afghan refugees must be handled very humanely by Pakistan. Those Afghans born in Pakistan should be given the option of nationality or even dual nationality .
9. No refugee unless involved in crime must be forcefully extradited.
10. Ten-orists, militants, and drug smugglers should be shown no mercy and handled 1uthlessly.
11. However, smugglers are of various shades and grades. Those smuggling in reasonable small quantities oil, eatables, fertilizers, and non-­ prohibited material must be treated as ‘traders’ earning a livelihood, which is so hard in these non-productive lands astride our borders.
12. Due to vast distances, sparse population and traditional tribal trade astride borders, Pakistan should perhaps allow up to 200 km with Iran and up to 50 km with Afghanistan, up to which distances the activities of “smugglers” must be treated, as traders.
13. The smuggling of vehicles from Afghanistan and oil from Iran have for many years now acquired the status of a very profitable mega-business that is unstoppable . Vehicles can also carry explosives, arms, and narcotics. The oil and vehicles are meeting  the needs  of the entire

Pakistan. The 4-6 times price difference in Non-Custom-Paid vehicles and the culture of bribes and fake papers has allowed this to grow hugely.

4. Si1nilarly, Iranian oil finds consumers almost all over Pakistan. Let us admit it, that our Custom Department and indeed, all other agencies have failed to stop this very-well-paying smuggling, second only to narcotics in terms of profits. There is only one way to stop it, Pakistan must grossly reduce the tax slab both on legally imported vehicles and oil. Given the financial crunch this is not doable.
5. Villages astride Durand Line are a major cause of smuggling, but they ought to be handled humanely. Either the respective countries compensate them by absorbing them in their own countries or the Durand Line is adjusted as per the option of the villagers to be fully in one of the two countries. Together, Afghanistan and Pakistan can do it.
6. Iran is building a wall and a fence to protect its 909 km border with Pakistan. The border with Afghanistan is over 2400 km. Pakistan has also nearly completed a fence to limit the crossing places. However, no obstacle can work if it is not under surveillance and covered by law enforcement agencies.
7. Considering the huge distances, all three countries need to pool resources and limit the number of free-crossing sites. Similarly, some more authorized crossing sites and visa granting offices are also required badly.
8. There is a requirement of creating Tax-Free Zones in all three countries with mutual agreement. It will greatly facilitate Barter Trade, so badly needed due to American Sanctions.
9. We have written a legal framework for trade with Iran but none with Afghanistan. There is a need to formulate one.
10. Pakistan’s existing staff at borders for immigration, anti-smuggling, commerce, and law enforcement is highly inadequate, especially with Afghanistan where thousands cross from both sides every day. Through mutual agreements the staff should be greatly enhanced on both sides of the borders to facilitate movement and more crossing-sites established. People-to-people contacts will strengthen the ancient relationships amongst our countries and help everyone prosper.
11. The importance of trade cannot be overemphasized for sustainable economic growth. Trade slows down when the clearance process is very slow because of administrative difficulties at the borders.
12. Outdated and overly bureaucratic border-clearance processes imposed by customs and other agencies are now seen internationally, as posing greater barriers to trade than tariffs. Improved processes and attitudes, and biometric identifications which facilitate easy and fair trade are imperative for all of us.
13. China-Pakistan-Economic-Corridor , CPEC, has become a reality. Both China and Pakistan have invited Iran and Afghanistan to make use of it for economic growth. A workable, easy procedure to use this corridor for commerce will have to be mutually formulated.

Conclusion

And finally, if we keep working on these lines, defeat the designs of foreign powers aimed at making us fight amongst us, let us dream of that day when Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan will feel the necessity and want to make a Common­- Wealth-of-Khorasan, doing away with these borders altogether, like the EU.

Note: This article of Brigadier ® Agha Ahmad Gul has been taken from the publication of BTTN & MFD with the specific permission from him. To high light BTTN publication we have kept the Annexes as were in the BTTN publication. (Editor)