Pakistani National Security Adviser leaves Afghanistan

Pakistani National Security Advisor Moeed Yusuf leaves Afghanistan today, following a visit centered around tensions along the two nations’ shared border.

Islamabad has taken issue with Taliban leadership ordering the removal of fencing. Officials seized barbed wire in Nangarhar and Nimroz provinces in recent weeks, as the Taliban government refuses to allow Pakistan to construct a border fence. Pakistan started constructing fencing in 2014 to impede militant organizations and cross-border smuggling from entering the country and cross-border smuggling. Over 90% of fencing along the border has already been completed. 

Expect Pakistan to try to solve the issue diplomatically, with further negotiations such as today’s. Islamabad has a major stake in the border fence as its been dealing with increased attacks by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), an insurgent group with ties to the current Afghan government. The Taliban will likely continue to object to the fence, claiming that hardening the British-era boundary separates ethnic Pashtun families who live on either side. Rejecting its perceived role as a proxy of Pakistan, the Taliban will be keen to establish their independence on a foreign policy level. However, deep dependence on Pakistan for economic survival due to international sanctions on the regime will likely prove to be more important than the border dispute.