As of late March, acrimony and mistrust continue to drive relations with Afghanistan. Following the Eid break, Pakistan has resumed the hunt for terrorist sanctuaries in the neighbourhood. The borders have remained shut down since October 11 for Kabul's refusal to take conclusive, verifiable action against TTP. Nothing, it seems, has moved the Afghan regime, and it has reiterated religious affinity, political camaraderie and tribal traditions as the reason for cracking down on terrorist networks nestled in Afghanistan.

This throws up two challenges for all: the lingering border issue repeatedly trumped up by Afghans at large, and the security concerns flowing from the presence of terrorist outfits in Afghanistan.

Let us first dissect the former. All through the decades since Pakistan's birth in 1947, the only issue that seemingly unites Afghans of all shades is the "Durand Line". Royalists, socialists and Pashtoon nationalists always hid behind the "border issue" when short of logically substantive arguments. The Pakhtunistan Square in the heart of Kabul, just outside the President's Palace, testifies to the deep-seated contention wrapped in the "Durand Line".

Even the religious Taliban spare no opportunity in relentlessly parroting the "imaginary line" mantra. It leaves little doubt that this stands out as a unifying factor – if you may call it so – and herewith begins the issue with Pakistan, which inherited the 2560 km border as its line separating it from........

© The Express Tribune