Pak-Afghan border fencing to be completed within next two months: ISPR

The fencing of the 2,611 km boundary along the border separating Pakistan and Afghanistan will be completed within the next two months.

The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) told Voice of America that the barrier has already been installed along about 83 % of the western Pakistani frontier. In 2017, the Pakistan Army had begun fencing with the end of 2020 set as its deadline.

The fencing had been started to block militant infiltration, smuggling, and other illegal crossings on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. According to ISPR, the border fencing is expected to benefit the people of Pakistan and Afghanistan while restricting the movement of terrorists.

The pair of three-meter-high mesh fences are filled and topped with coils of razor wire, running through rugged terrain and snow-covered, treacherous mountains which are as high as 4,000 meters. The fence is also strengthened with surveillance and intrusion detection systems.

Under the $550 million project, hundreds of new outposts and forts have also been built.

Pakistan's military is also working on the fencing of the Iran border and around 30% of the work has been completed. The entire project is likely to complete by the end of 2021.