by Muhammad Tahir
ISLAMABAD, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan enforced a new mechanism on one of its busiest border crossing points with Afghanistan last week that requires every Afghan to carry legal travel documents for entering the country.
People living near the border areas on both sides could have previously crossed the border without any documents. Pakistani officials, however, argue that the unchecked cross-border movement has created a serious security threat as militants are mingling with the locals to cross the border for "terrorist activities."
As the cross-border movement by the militants had always been a major irritant to bilateral relations, there was an urgent need for a better border control system to stop the movement of the militants. Observers maintain however that there is a need for both countries to develop and reach a consensus on the issue, as both countries face the threat of terrorism.
The Afghan ambassador to Islamabad, Omar Zakhilwal, has said Afghanistan "is as yet not confident about the new measures with respect to the visa requirements for all travelers trough Torkham and other crossing points from Afghanistan."
For his part, Pakistan Foreign Ministry Spokesman Nafees Zikriya has defended the decision and said "effective border management is part of our counter-terrorism efforts, which is in the interest of both countries."
Read the full story at Xinhua