October 18, 2001	Thursday	Rajab 30, 1422

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CHAMAN, Oct 17: Pakistan authorities are moving Chaman border checkpoint more than one kilometre nearer to the Durand Line and reducing the existing over 2km no man’s corridor between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

“We are consulting Taliban authorities on this issue,” a well placed source informed Dawn on Wednesday during a visit here.

He explained that the check post was moved backward to the existing position in 1979, when the Soviet Union had moved in its troops and its tanks were making threatening manoeuvres at Kandahar border towards Pakistan.

Three Balochistan ministers visited the Chaman border check post with a delegation of Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Wednesday and were given a thorough briefing by the officials of Pishin Scouts. “Let’s hope this decision to move check post one kilometre ahead does not create any row,” a minister remarked.

The 2km no man’s corridor between Pakistan and Afghanistan is witnessing unusually large two-way movement of persons for more than a week. “This two-way traffic is swelling with every passing day.” a Chaman businessman who was with the team said.

Traders report that a crowd had gathered on the Afghanistan side a few days before and had pelted stones towards Pakistan. “Border guards had to fire in the air to disperse the crowd,” a trader claimed.

On Wednesday, about 35 young men, claiming to have come from Karachi, tried to enter Afghanistan from the Chaman check post. They were stopped. They moved to some distance and entered Afghanistan from within sight of hundreds of people.

Similarly, there was an unending stream of women and children entering Pakistan. A woman journalist from Prague asked how it was possible, but she could neither get a satisfactory reply nor was allowed to talk to the Afghan women.

Hardly 70 miles away from US bombing target Kandahar is a bazaar, Wesh, just inside Afghanistan that offers automobiles, computers, electronic goods and a lot of other varieties. Buyers from all parts of Pakistan throng Chaman to shop at Wesh.

The Durand Line was drawn in 1893 by the British but was always contested by the Afghanistan governments. In 1977 Prime Minister Z.A. Bhutto is reported to have worked out a deal with ex-Afghan PM Sardar Daud to internationalise the line. But before any move could be made in that direction, the Gen Ziaul Haq overthrew the government.