Pakistan has formally conveyed to Afghanistan a proposal to construct a fence to prevent infiltration of Taliban militia, despite Afghan officials insisting that dispute over the border be resolved first.
"We have formally conveyed the proposal to the Afghan government and they are yet to respond to it," Foreign Office spokesman Naeem Khan told reporters on Monday about President Pervez Musharraf's offer to construct a fence after repeated allegations by Afghan officials that Islamabad was not doing enough to stop infiltration of suspected terrorists.
Afghan officials had rejected the proposal saying that the border, called 'Durand line', was disputed and the two countries needed to reach a settlement before Pakistan erected the fence.
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"We want the border to be determined first in accordance with international laws," spokesman for Afghanistan Interior Ministry Lutfullah Mashaal said.
"The proposal is unacceptable to Afghans before determination of the border," Mashaal told Afghanistan's Pajwok News Agency.
The fencing proposal was also questioned by Pakistan's top army commander Lt Gen Safdar who was in charge of Pakistan forces conducting operations against Taliban and Al-Qaeda militants in Waziristan.
According to reports, the General said it was for Afghanistan, not Pakistan to construct fence.
Naeem Khan said Pakistan mooted the fence idea as complaints from Afghanistan persisted despite deployment of troops and other measures, including relocation of Afghan refugees camps in Pakistan.
He said the idea of fencing along the border on routes prone to illegal crossings was made in a "spirit of cooperation" to address the issue once and for all.
