Editing Durand Line (section)

== Contemporary era ==
{{further|Afghanistan conflict (1978–present)|Soviet–Afghan War|Af-Pak|CIA activities in Afghanistan}}
[[File:Reagan sitting with people from the Afghanistan-Pakistan region in February 1983.jpg|thumb|Afghan mujahideen representatives with [[List of Presidents of the United States|President]] [[Ronald Reagan]] at the [[White House]] in 1983]]

During [[Operation Cyclone]], the ISI, with support and funding from the [[Central Intelligence Agency]] (CIA) of the United States, recruited mujahideen militant groups on the Pakistani side of the Durand line to cross into Afghanistan's territory for missions to topple the [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|Soviet-backed Afghan government]].<ref>{{cite news|url=http://supportdanielboyd.wordpress.com/so-called-%E2%80%9Cterrorist-camps%E2%80%9D-in-1989-and-training/|title=So called "terrorist camps" (in 1989?) and training|work=Support Daniel Boyd's Blog|date=2 August 2009 |access-date=16 December 2009|archive-date=10 August 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090810092215/http://supportdanielboyd.wordpress.com/so-called-%E2%80%9Cterrorist-camps%E2%80%9D-in-1989-and-training/|url-status=live}}</ref> Afghanistan [[KHAD]] was one of two secret service agencies believed to have been conducting bombings in parts of the [[North-West Frontier Province (1901–55)|North West Frontier]] (now Khyber Pakhtunkhwa) during the early 1980s.<ref name="autogenerated1987">{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,963894-2,00.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110109171126/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,963894-2,00.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=9 January 2011 |magazine=Time |title=Pakistan Knocking at the Nuclear Door |date=30 March 1987 |access-date=24 May 2010}}</ref> U.S State Department blamed WAD (a [[KGB]]-created Afghan secret intelligence agency) for terrorist bombings in Pakistan's cities in 1987 and 1988.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/23/opinion/how-zia-s-death-helped-the-us.html?pagewanted=1 |work=The New York Times |title=How Zia's Death Helped the U.S |first1=Robert D. |last1=Kaplan |date=23 August 1989 |access-date=24 May 2010 |archive-date=15 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415104017/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/23/opinion/how-zia-s-death-helped-the-us.html?pagewanted=1 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/25/world/fbi-allowed-to-investigate-crash-that-killed-zia.html |work=The New York Times |title=F.B.I. Allowed to Investigate Crash That Killed Zia |first=Robert |last=Pear |date=25 June 1989 |access-date=24 May 2010 |archive-date=15 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190415104016/https://www.nytimes.com/1989/06/25/world/fbi-allowed-to-investigate-crash-that-killed-zia.html |url-status=live}}</ref> It is also believed that Afghanistan's PDPA government supported the [[left-wing politics|leftist]] [[Al-Zulfiqar]] organization of Pakistan, the group accused of the 1981 hijacking of a [[Pakistan International Airlines]] plane from Karachi to Kabul.
[[File:Afghan Muja crossing from Saohol Sar pass in Durand border region of Pakistan, August 1985.png|thumb|upright|[[Central Intelligence Agency|CIA]]-funded and [[Inter-Services Intelligence|ISI]]-trained [[Afghan Mujahideen|mujahideen]] fighters crossing the Durand Line to fight the Soviet-backed [[Democratic Republic of Afghanistan|Afghan government]] in 1985]]

After the collapse of the pro-Soviet Afghan government in 1992, Pakistan, despite Article 2 of the Durand Line Agreement which states "The Government of India will at no time exercise interference in the territories lying beyond this line on the side of Afghanistan", attempted to create a state friendly to Pakistan in Afghanistan prior to [[Taliban]] control according to [[US Special Envoy]] on Afghanistan [[Peter Tomsen]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/taliban/interviews/tomsen.html |title=Interview with Peter Tomsen |date=3 October 2006 |quote=President [[George H. W. Bush]]'s special envoy and ambassador to the Afghan resistance from 1989 to 1992 |publisher=[[Public Broadcasting Service|PBS]] [[Frontline (U.S. TV series)|Frontline]] |access-date=11 February 2011 |archive-date=5 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110805084549/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/taliban/interviews/tomsen.html |url-status=live}}</ref> According to a summer 2001 report in ''[[The Friday Times]]'', even the Taliban leaders challenged the very existence of the Durand Line when former [[Minister of Interior (Afghanistan)|Afghan Interior Minister]] [[Abdur Razzaq (Taliban Interior Minister)|Abdur Razzaq]] and a delegation of about 95 Taliban visited Pakistan.<ref name="Roashan">[http://www.institute-for-afghan-studies.org/Contributions/Commentaries/DRRoashanArch/2001_08_11_unholy_durand_line.htm The Unholy Durand Line, Buffering the Buffer] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120325161737/http://www.institute-for-afghan-studies.org/Contributions/Commentaries/DRRoashanArch/2001_08_11_unholy_durand_line.htm |date=25 March 2012}} by Dr. G. Rauf Roashan. 11 August 2001.</ref> The Taliban refused to endorse the Durand Line despite pressure from Islamabad, arguing that there shall be no borders among Muslims. When the [[Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan (1996–2001)|Taliban government]] was removed in late 2001, the [[President of Afghanistan|Afghan President]] [[Hamid Karzai]] also began resisting the Durand Line,<ref>[https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/10/AR2009051001959.html "Pakistan's Ethnic Fault Line"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170803132932/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/10/AR2009051001959.html |date=3 August 2017}} by Selig S. Harrison, ''[[The Washington Post]]''. 11 May 2009.</ref> and today the present [[Government of Afghanistan]] does not recognize Durand Line as its international border. No Afghan government has recognized the Durand Line as its border since 1947.<ref>[https://books.google.com/books?id=2eNuAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA290 Natural Resources in Afghanistan: Geographic and Geologic Perspectives on Centuries of Conflict] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200801035645/https://books.google.com/books?id=2eNuAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA290 |date=1 August 2020 }} By John F. Shroder. Elselvier, San Diego, California, USA. 2014. p290</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=admin interview with former President Hamid Karzai|title=We will respect Pashtuns' decision on Pashtunistan: Karzai|url=http://afghanistantimes.af/we-will-respect-pashtuns-decision-on-pashtunistan-karzai/|newspaper=Afghan Times|date=2 September 2016|quote="No one will recognize it. It cannot separate the nation. The line has not separated the nation."|access-date=7 September 2016|archive-date=7 September 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160907115215/http://afghanistantimes.af/we-will-respect-pashtuns-decision-on-pashtunistan-karzai/|url-status=live}}</ref>

{{blockquote|A line of hatred that raised a wall between the two brothers.|Hamid Karzai}}
[[File:Torkham, Afghanistan 2007-08-24 - Defense.gov News Photo 070824-A-0613R-005.jpg|thumb|left|A U.S. soldier at [[Torkham]] border crossing, 2007]]
The [[Afghan Geodesy and Cartography Head Office]] (AGCHO) depicts the line on their maps as a [[de facto]] border, including naming the "Durand Line 2310 km (1893)" as an "International Boundary Line" on their home page.<ref name=AGCHO>{{cite web |url=http://www.agcho.org/ |title=Afghan Geodesy and Cartography Head Office (AGCHO) |access-date=5 December 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100121182748/http://agcho.org/ |archive-date=21 January 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> However, a map in an article from the Pashtun-dominated [[Politics of Afghanistan|Government of Afghanistan]] not only refuses to recognise the Durand Line as the international border between the two countries, it claims that the Pashtun territories of Pakistan rightly belong to Afghanistan.<ref name="FG" /> The Durand Line Agreement makes no mention of a time limit, thus suggesting the treaty has no expiry date. In 2004, spokespersons of [[United States Department of State|U.S. State Department]]'s Office of the Geographer and Global Issues and British [[Foreign and Commonwealth Office]] also pointed out that the Durand Line Agreement has no mention of an expiry date.

{{blockquote|Recurrent claims that (the) Durand Treaty expired in 1993 are unfounded. Cartographic depictions of boundary conflict with each other, but Treaty depictions are clear.<ref name="DTP"/>|A spokesperson for U.S. State Department's Office of the Geographer and Global Issues}}

[[File:Senior frontier corps balochistan.jpg|thumb|300px|right|US [[Drug Enforcement Administration|DEA]] Administrator [[Karen Tandy|Karen P. Tandy]] with Pakistani [[Frontier Corps]] and government officials right in front of the Afghan-Pakistani border]]

Because the Durand Line divides the Pashtun and [[Baloch people]], it continues to be a source of tension between the governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan.<ref name="Newsweek2">Newsweek, [http://www.newsweek.com/id/73137/page/2 No Man's Land – Neighbor's Interference] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081010132807/http://www.newsweek.com/id/73137/page/2 |date=10 October 2008}}</ref> In August 2007, Pakistani politician and the leader of [[Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam]], [[Fazal-ur-Rehman (politician)|Fazal-ur-Rehman]], urged Afghanistan to recognise the Durand Line.<ref name="Dawn">''Dawn'' News, [http://www.dawn.com/2007/08/24/top6.htm Fazl urges Afghanistan to recognise Durand Line] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101030225032/http://www.dawn.com/2007/08/24/top6.htm |date=30 October 2010}}</ref> Press statements from 2005 to 2007 by former [[President of Pakistan|Pakistani President]] [[Pervez Musharraf|Musharraf]] calling for the building of a fence on the Durand Line have been met with resistance from numerous Pashtun political parties in Afghanistan.<ref>PAN, [https://archive.today/20120908122023/http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2007/01/03/pashtuns-both-sides-pak-afghan-border-show-opposition-fencing-plan ''Pashtuns on both sides of Pak-Afghan border show opposition to fencing plan''], 3 January 2007.</ref><ref>PAN, [https://archive.today/20120906143228/http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2007/01/10/more-protests-against-fencing ''More protests against fencing''], 10 January 2007.</ref><ref>PAN, [https://archive.today/20120906143228/http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2007/01/10/more-protests-against-fencing ''Fencing plan may defame Pakistan: Fazl''], 10 January 2007.</ref> Pashtun politicians in Afghanistan strenuously object to even the existence of the Durand Line border.<ref name="PAN">PAN, [http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2009/08/03/durand-line-not-legitimate-border-zoori ''Durand Line not a legitimate border: Zoori'']{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, 3 August 2009.</ref> In 2006 Afghan President Hamid Karzai warned that "[[Iran]] and Pakistan and others are not fooling anyone."

{{blockquote|If they don't stop, the consequences will be ... that the region will suffer with us equally. In the past we have suffered alone; this time everybody will suffer with us.... Any effort to divide Afghanistan ethnically or weaken it will create the same thing in the neighboring countries. All the countries in the neighborhood have the same ethnic groups that we have, so they should know that it is a different ball game this time.<ref name="FG" />|Hamid Karzai|February 17, 2006}}

Aimal Faizi, spokesman for the Afghan President, stated in October 2012 that the Durand Line is "an issue of historical importance for Afghanistan. The Afghan people, not the government, can take a final decision on it."<ref name="No change in stance on Durand Line" />

=== Recent border skirmishes ===
In July 2003, Pakistani and Afghan forces clashed over border posts. The Afghan government claimed that the Pakistani military established bases up to 600 meters inside Afghanistan in the Yaqubi area near bordering [[Mohmand District]].<ref name="globalsecurity">{{cite web |url=http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2003/07/25-170703.htm|title=RFE/RL Afghanistan Report|author=John Pike |work=globalsecurity.org |access-date=30 January 2008|archive-date=23 May 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090523123740/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/news/2003/07/25-170703.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The Yaqubi and Yaqubi Kandao (Pass) area were later found to fall within Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://gnswww.nga.mil/geonames/GNS/index.jsp |title=Geonames Query Home Page |access-date=3 April 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070407223825/http://gnswww.nga.mil/geonames/GNS/index.jsp |archive-date=7 April 2007}} NGA Geonames database</ref> In 2007, Pakistan erected fences and posts a few hundred metres inside Afghanistan near the border-straddling bazaar of [[Angoor Ada]] in [[South Waziristan]], but the [[Afghan National Army]] quickly removed them and began shelling Pakistani positions.<ref name="globalsecurity" /> Leaders in Pakistan said the fencing was a way to prevent Taliban militants from crossing over between the two nations, but Afghan President Hamid Karzai believed that it is Islamabad's plan to permanently separate the Pashtun tribes.<ref>[http://news.monstersandcritics.com/southasia/news/article_1293995.php/Clash_erupts_between_Afghan_Pakistani_forces_over_border_fence Clash erupts between Afghan, Pakistani forces over border fence – South Asia<!-- Bot generated title -->] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130123143833/http://news.monstersandcritics.com/southasia/news/article_1293995.php/Clash_erupts_between_Afghan_Pakistani_forces_over_border_fence |date=23 January 2013}}</ref> [[Special Forces (United States Army)|Special Forces]] from the [[United States Army]] were based at [[Shkin, Paktika|Shkin]], Afghanistan, seven kilometres west of Angoor Ada, from 2002.<ref>[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/fb_shkin.htm Fire Base Shkin / Fire Base Checo] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090807174810/http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/facility/fb_shkin.htm |date=7 August 2009}}. Globalsecurity.org. Retrieved on 12 July 2013.</ref> In 2009, the [[International Security Assistance Force]] (ISAF) and American CIA began using [[unmanned aerial vehicle]]s from the Afghan side to hit terrorist targets on the Pakistani side of the Durand Line.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-4285.html|title=NEWKERALA.COM for News, Information & Entertainment Stuff|author=NK|work=newkerala.com|access-date=5 December 2009|archive-date=20 January 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120120211230/http://www.newkerala.com/news/fullnews-4285.html|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Inside the Afghan customs and border patrol station at Torkham.jpg|thumb|[[Afghan Border Police]] check travellers' passports at Torkham Gate in Nangarhar province]]

The border area between Afghanistan and Pakistan has long been one of the most dangerous places in the world, due largely to very little government control. It is legal and common in the region to carry guns, and [[assault rifle]]s and explosives are common.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/search/journey/tribaltheme.html |title=Pakistan's Tribal Areas |first=Kamran |last=Khan |publisher=PBS Frontline |access-date=11 February 2011 |archive-date=2 August 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130802032852/http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/search/journey/tribaltheme.html |url-status=live}}</ref> Many forms of illegal activities take place, such as smuggling of [[weapon]]s, [[narcotic]]s, [[lumber]], [[copper]], [[gemstone]]s, [[marble]], [[vehicle]]s, and electronic products, as well as ordinary [[consumer]] goods.<ref name="Newsweek2"/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.army.mil/article/22349/|title=Soldiers disrupt timber smuggling in Afghan province|author=Amber Robinson|date=9 June 2009|access-date=14 February 2013|archive-date=1 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101170004/http://www.army.mil/article/22349/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.dawn.com/2002/06/28/nat34.htm|title=Timber smuggling from Afghanistan on the rise|author=Abdul Sami Paracha|newspaper=Dawn|date=28 June 2002|access-date=14 February 2013|archive-date=1 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101132613/http://archives.dawn.com/2002/06/28/nat34.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://archives.dawn.com/2005/12/19/nat28.htm|title=Six Pakistanis held in Afghanistan on timber smuggling charge|newspaper=Dawn|date=19 September 2005|access-date=14 February 2013|archive-date=1 November 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101132129/http://archives.dawn.com/2005/12/19/nat28.htm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/4721119-pakistan-suggests-curbs-to-end-smuggling-from-afghanistan|title=Pakistan suggests curbs to end smuggling from Afghanistan|date=30 November 2009|access-date=14 February 2013|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101203051/http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/4721119-pakistan-suggests-curbs-to-end-smuggling-from-afghanistan|archive-date=1 November 2013}}</ref> Kidnappings and murders are frequent.<ref name="DN" />
Militants frequently cross the border from both sides to conduct attacks.<ref>The News.pk, [http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8439&Cat=13 ''36 soldiers die in cross-border Chitral attack''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111116001626/http://www.thenews.com.pk/TodaysPrintDetail.aspx?ID=8439&Cat=13 |date=16 November 2011}}, 28 August 2011.</ref> In June 2011 more than 500 Taliban militants entered Upper Dir area from Afghanistan and killed more than 30 Pakistani security forces. Police said the attackers targeted a checkpost, destroyed two schools and several houses, while killing a number of civilians.<ref>[http://www.thefrontierpost.com/?p=69232 The Frontier Post, Pakistan, Peshawar] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120421183511/http://www.thefrontierpost.com/?p=69232 |date=21 April 2012}}. ''The Frontier Post''. Retrieved on 12 July 2013.</ref>

The governments of Pakistan and Afghanistan are both trying to extend the rule of law into the border areas. At the same time, the United States is reviewing the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones (ROZ) [[Act of Congress|Act]] in [[Washington, D.C.]], which is supposed to help the economic status of the Pashtun and [[Baloch tribes]] by providing jobs to a large number of the population on both sides of the Durand Line border.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s496/show|title=S.496: Afghanistan and Pakistan Reconstruction Opportunity Zones Act of 2009 – U.S. Congress – OpenCongress|work=OpenCongress|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090718235449/http://www.opencongress.org/bill/111-s496/show|archive-date=18 July 2009}}</ref>

Much of the northern and central Durand line is quite mountainous, where crossing the border is often only practical in the numerous passes through the mountains. Border crossing is very common, especially among Pashtuns who cross to meet relatives or to work. The movement of people across the border has largely been unchecked or uncontrolled,<ref name="Newsweek2"/> although [[passport]]s and [[visa (document)|visas]] are at times checked at official crossings. In June 2011 the United States installed a [[biometrics|biometric]] system at the border crossing near [[Spin Boldak]], aimed at improving the security situation and blocking the infiltration of insurgents into southern Afghanistan.<ref>[http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2011/06/09/biometric-system-installed-spin-boldak Biometric system installed in Spin Boldak] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130510154215/http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2011/06/09/biometric-system-installed-spin-boldak |date=10 May 2013}}. 9 June 2011.</ref>

Throughout June and into July 2011, Pakistan [[Chitral Scouts]] and local defence militias suffered deadly cross-border raids. In response the Pakistani military shelled some Afghan villages in Afghanistan's [[Nuristan Province|Nuristan]], [[Kunar Province|Kunar]], [[Nangarhar Province|Nangarhar]], and [[Khost Province|Khost]] provinces resulting in a number of Afghan civilians being killed.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2011/07/01/pakistan-fires-missiles-khost-say-border-police |title=Pakistan fires missiles into Khost, say border police |quote=Nearly a dozen missiles were fired from Pakistan into Afghanistan's southeastern Khost province over the past 24 hours, border police said on Friday. |date=1 July 2011 |publisher=[[Pajhwok Afghan News]] |access-date=6 July 2011 |archive-date=2 December 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111202001132/http://www.pajhwok.com/en/2011/07/01/pakistan-fires-missiles-khost-say-border-police |url-status=live}}</ref> Afghanistan's [[Ministry of Interior Affairs (Afghanistan)|Interior Ministry]] claimed that nearly 800 [[Surface-to-surface missile|rockets]] were fired from Pakistan, hitting civilian targets inside Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-karzai-shelling/afghanistan-wont-fire-back-on-pakistan-karzai-idUSTRE7642IH20110705|title=Afghanistan won't fire back on Pakistan: Karzai|last=Shalizi|first=Hamid|date=1 July 2011|access-date=6 July 2011|publisher=Reuters|archive-date=6 March 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306044409/https://www.reuters.com/article/us-afghanistan-karzai-shelling/afghanistan-wont-fire-back-on-pakistan-karzai-idUSTRE7642IH20110705|url-status=live}}</ref> The Afghan statement claimed that attacks by Pakistan resulted in the deaths of 42 Afghan civilians, including 30 men and 12 women and girls, wounded 55 others and destroyed 120 homes. Although Pakistan claimed it was an accident and just routine anti-Taliban operations, some analysts believe that it could have been a show of strength by Islamabad. For example, a senior official at the [[Council on Foreign Relations]] explained that because the shelling was of such a large scale, it was more likely a warning from Pakistan than an accident.<ref name=Nichols>{{cite web |url=https://news.yahoo.com/afghanistan-pakistan-coordinate-amid-cross-border-confusion-125326901.html|title=Afghanistan, Pakistan to coordinate amid cross-border confusion|publisher=Reuters |location=United States |first=Michelle |last=Nichols |date=7 July 2011|access-date=9 July 2011}}</ref>

{{blockquote|I'm speculating, but natural possibilities include a signal to Karzai and to (the United States) that we can't push Pakistan too hard.<ref name=Nichols/>|[[Stephen Biddle]]}}

The United States and other NATO states often ignored this sensitive issue, likely because of potential effects on their war strategy in Afghanistan. Their involvement could have strained relations and jeopardized their own national interests in the area.<ref name="FG" /> This came after the [[2011 NATO attack in Pakistan|November 2011 NATO bombing]] in which 24 Pakistani soldiers were killed.<ref>Tolo News, [http://tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/4635-terrorist-safe-havens-in-pakistan-must-go-joint-chiefs-head-says- "Terrorist Safe Havens in Pakistan Must Go, Joint Chiefs Head Says"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120117145213/http://tolonews.com/en/afghanistan/4635-terrorist-safe-havens-in-pakistan-must-go-joint-chiefs-head-says- |date=17 January 2012}}. 10 December 2011.</ref> In response to that incident, Pakistan decided to cut off all NATO supply lines as well as boost border security by installing anti-aircraft guns and radars to monitor air activity.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/10/world/asia/pakistan-military/index.html?section=cnn_latest|title=Pakistan boosts border security after airstrike|author=Wire Staff|date=10 December 2011|publisher=CNN|access-date=11 December 2011|archive-date=5 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151005033552/http://edition.cnn.com/2011/12/10/world/asia/pakistan-military/index.html?section=cnn_latest|url-status=live}}</ref> Regarding the Durand Line, some rival maps are said to display discrepancies of as much as five kilometres.<ref>{{Cite news |author=Boone, Jon |title=Nato air attack on Pakistani troops was self-defence, says senior western official |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/26/nato-air-attack-pakistan-soldiers |work=[[The Observer]] |date=27 November 2011 |access-date=27 November 2011 |archive-date=1 October 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131001065741/http://www.theguardian.com/world/2011/nov/26/nato-air-attack-pakistan-soldiers |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Trench being built alongside the border===
In June 2016, Pakistan announced that it had completed 1,100&nbsp;km of trenches along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border (Durand Line) in [[Balochistan, Pakistan|Balochistan]] to check movement of terrorists and smugglers across border into Pakistan from Afghanistan.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Butt|first1=Qaiser|title=1,100km trench built alongside Pak-Afghan border in Balochistan|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1126353/1100km-trench-built-alongside-pak-afghan-border-balochistan/|access-date=9 September 2017|work=[[Express Tribune]]|date=20 June 2016|archive-date=9 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170909234212/https://tribune.com.pk/story/1126353/1100km-trench-built-alongside-pak-afghan-border-balochistan/|url-status=live}}</ref> Plans to expand this trench/ berm/ fence work were announced in March 2017.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Gul|first1=Ayaz|title=Pakistan Begins Fencing of Afghan Border|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-fencing-off-afghanistan-border/3781631.html|access-date=25 March 2017|publisher=[[Voice of America]]|date=25 March 2017|archive-date=25 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170325164043/http://www.voanews.com/a/pakistan-fencing-off-afghanistan-border/3781631.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The plans also included building 338 checkpoints and forts along the border by 2019.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1327567|title=Former TTP spokesman Ehsanullah Ehsan has turned himself in: Pak Army|date=17 April 2017|website=Dawn|access-date=23 October 2017|archive-date=3 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170903184930/https://www.dawn.com/news/1327567|url-status=live}}</ref>

===2017 border closure and reopening===
On 16 February, Pakistan closed the border crossings at [[Torkham]] and [[Wesh–Chaman border crossing|Chaman]] due to security reasons following the [[2017 Sehwan suicide bombing|Sehwan blast]].<ref>{{cite news|title=Pak. closes Afghan border crossing|url=http://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pak-closes-afghan-border-crossing/article17327204.ece|access-date=21 March 2017|work=[[The Hindu]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=19 February 2017|archive-date=16 August 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210816131810/https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/pak-closes-afghan-border-crossing/article17327204.ece|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Pak-Afghan border closed for indefinite period: ISPR|url=https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/186754-Pak-Afghan-border-closed-for-indefinite-period-ISPR|access-date=21 March 2017|work=[[The News International]]|date=16 February 2017|archive-date=24 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170224122142/https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/186754-Pak-Afghan-border-closed-for-indefinite-period-ISPR|url-status=live}}</ref> On 7 March, the border was reopened for two days to facilitate the return of people to their respective countries who had earlier crossed the border on valid visas. The decision was taken after repeated requests by Afghanistan's government to avert 'a humanitarian crisis'.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Mashal|first1=Mujib|title=Closed Afghan-Pakistani Border Is Becoming 'Humanitarian Crisis'|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/05/world/asia/afghanistan-pakistan-border.html?_r=0|access-date=21 March 2017|work=[[The New York Times]]|date=5 March 2017|archive-date=13 September 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180913122131/https://www.nytimes.com/2017/03/05/world/asia/afghanistan-pakistan-border.html?_r=0|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=People throng Torkham as border reopens for two days|url=https://tribune.com.pk/story/1348712/throngs-people-pak-afghan-border-reopened-two-days/|access-date=21 March 2017|work=[[Express Tribune]]|date=7 March 2017|archive-date=22 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322202850/https://tribune.com.pk/story/1348712/throngs-people-pak-afghan-border-reopened-two-days/|url-status=live}}</ref> According to a Pakistani official, 24,000 Afghans returned to Afghanistan, while 700 Pakistanis returned to Pakistan, before the border was indefinitely closed again.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pakistan indefinitely closes Afghan border|url=http://www.skynews.com.au/news/world/mideast/2017/03/10/pakistan-indefinitely-closes-afghan-border.html|access-date=21 March 2017|publisher=[[Sky News]]|agency=[[Reuters]]|date=10 March 2017|archive-date=22 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170322203009/http://www.skynews.com.au/news/world/mideast/2017/03/10/pakistan-indefinitely-closes-afghan-border.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On 20 March, Pakistani Prime Minister [[Nawaz Sharif]] ordered the reopening of Afghanistan–Pakistan border as a "goodwill gesture", 32 days after it was closed.<ref>{{cite news|title=Pakistani prime minister orders the reopening of border with Afghanistan, ending costly closure|url=http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-pakistan-afghanistan-border-20170320-story.html|access-date=21 March 2017|work=[[Los Angeles Times]]|agency=[[Associated Press]]|date=20 March 2017|archive-date=28 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170328100328/http://www.latimes.com/world/la-fg-pakistan-afghanistan-border-20170320-story.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Afzaal|first1=Ali|title=Pak-Afghan border reopens after 32 days|url=https://www.geo.tv/latest/135032-Pak-Afghan-border-reopens-at-PMs-behest|access-date=21 March 2017|work=[[Geo News]]|date=21 March 2017|archive-date=21 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170321082936/https://www.geo.tv/latest/135032-Pak-Afghan-border-reopens-at-PMs-behest|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 5 May, following an [[2017 Afghanistan–Pakistan border skirmish|attack on Pakistani census team]] by Afghan forces and the resulting exchange of fire between the two sides, the border was closed again.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/firing-afghanistan-pakistan-border-census-team-kills-civilian-170505070934446.html |title=Pakistan-Afghanistan crossing closed after border clash |work=[[Al Jazeera English]] |date=7 May 2017 |access-date=7 May 2017 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170507050745/http://www.aljazeera.com/news/2017/05/firing-afghanistan-pakistan-border-census-team-kills-civilian-170505070934446.html |archive-date=7 May 2017}}</ref>

Pakistan's decision to close the border was to force Afghanistan to take action against militant groups who were using Afghanistan's soil to carry out cross-border attacks against Pakistan.<ref name=VOA12>{{cite news|url=https://www.voanews.com/a/closed-pakistan-afghan-border-causes-pain-trade-losses/3744162.html|title=Closed Pakistan-Afghan Border Causes Pain, Trade Losses|access-date=28 February 2017|publisher=Voice of America|author=Zabiullah Ghazi|archive-date=1 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170301021607/http://www.voanews.com/a/closed-pakistan-afghan-border-causes-pain-trade-losses/3744162.html|url-status=live}}</ref> An Afghan diplomat at the [[World Trade Organization]] (WTO) claimed that Afghanistan suffered a loss of 90 million U.S. dollars as a result of closure of border by Pakistan.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.firstpost.com/world/pakistan-closes-durand-line-causes-90-mn-trade-loss-for-afghanistan-3381260.html|title=Pakistan closes Durand Line, causes $90 mn trade loss for Afghanistan|access-date=12 April 2017|publisher=FirstPost|author=Sheerupa Mitra|archive-date=12 April 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170412224950/http://www.firstpost.com/world/pakistan-closes-durand-line-causes-90-mn-trade-loss-for-afghanistan-3381260.html|url-status=live}}</ref> On 27 May 2017, Pakistan reopened the border after a request from Afghan authorities, marking the end of the border closure that lasted 22 days.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.dawn.com/news/1335758/pakistan-opens-chaman-border-crossing-on-humanitarian-grounds-after-22-days|title=Pakistan opens Chaman border crossing on 'humanitarian grounds' after 22 days|first=Naveed|last=Siddiqui|work=Dawn|date=28 May 2017|access-date=28 May 2017|archive-date=27 May 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170527144235/https://www.dawn.com/news/1335758/pakistan-opens-chaman-border-crossing-on-humanitarian-grounds-after-22-days|url-status=live}}</ref>