Pakistan expected to complete Afghan border fencing amid fears of a new refugee crisis

Pakistan is expected to complete a fence along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border frontier today.

Amid the deteriorating security situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan expects to encounter an influx of Afghan refugees in the coming months. About 1.4 million Afghan refugees currently reside in Pakistan but the country recently announced that it does not have the capacity for further intake. Construction of the fence was initially started in 2017 to prevent cross-border insurgent attacks on Pakistani border and security posts. However, it will now also provide the means for Pakistan to regulate migrants crossing the border.

The growing instability in Afghanistan will likely create a growing militant presence on the Afghan side of the border which will pose a threat to Pakistani security. As a result, expect Pakistan’s border fence to be temporarily effective in keeping the country secure from cross-border violence and the flow of Afghan refugees. However, long-term Pakistan is expected to undertake greater investment in its security services, including the deployment of additional military assets to surveil the area to ensure that no violence in Afghanistan spills across the border.

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