Frontier Corps says fencing, cameras installed to curb infiltration along Afghan border
Border Corps security personnel guard the newly inaugurated Badini Trade Terminal Gate in Balochistan. PHOTO: AFP
KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA:
The deteriorating situation in the Tirah Valley has highlighted deep-rooted governance failures, with security officials pointing to the absence of basic services, weak administration and limited law enforcement as key challenges in the remote Khyber Pakhtunkhwa region.
Border Corps officials said the vacuum created by poor governance has been exploited by extremist and criminal groups, including Fitna-al-Khawarij, which they accused of promoting instability and financing activities through drug trafficking and extortion.
Inspector General of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa North Frontier Corps said the province shares a 1,224 kilometer long border with Afghanistan, of which around 717 kilometers are the responsibility of the FC. He said the terrain includes steep, snow-capped mountains, high peaks and narrow passes, making border management a complex task.
The IG said cameras have been installed at various points to counter infiltration, adding that the border can only be completely sealed if it is respected by both sides. He noted that for the first time the fencing between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been completed, turning it into what can now be called an international border and creating a barrier against rampant movement and infiltration.
Referring to the security challenges, the IG said that last year in Bagh Maidan, 64 FC personnel were martyred and 198 were injured, adding that no other institution had suffered such a high number of casualties in the area. He said there are places like Duatoi where a narrow passage exists but effective verification cannot be carried out due to lack of legal authority.
He further noted that there are currently only three police officers deployed to police the entire local population, underscoring the serious shortage of police resources.
Wing Commander Colonel Waqas said the absence of civil administration was stark, noting that for a stretch of up to 60 kilometers in the Tirah Valley there is no district administration, police presence or hospital. He said there are no public schools in the area and no designated teachers, which has deprived children of an education.
“When children do not go to school and are denied education, consciousness is not developed and they are pushed into illegal activities,” he said.
Colonel Waqas said the FC runs 16 schools in the valley and has hired teachers on its own to provide basic education. He added that there is no hospital in the area and residents often go to the FC even for basic medical needs such as injections. The FC, he stated, also organizes free medical camps for the local population.
He described drug trafficking as a major problem in the Tirah Valley, alleging the involvement of Fitna-al-Khawarij. He said funds generated through narcotics and extortion are used against security forces and civilians.
Officials warned that continued mismanagement and failure of local governance structures are allowing militant and criminal elements to further entrench themselves in the region, compounding humanitarian and security challenges for the local population.
