PESHAWAR, Jan 15: Mining and fencing the Pakistan-Afghanistan border would divide Pukhtuns, besides killing innocent people. Therefore, the federal government should drop the idea and devise an alternative strategy.

So said political leaders and social activists at a seminar held here on Monday. They signed a joint declaration on the occasion, which urged the government to work for an alternative strategy to monitor the border.

The declaration also called for a campaign in this regard by the civil society.

The declaration also underscored the need for an awareness campaign. Islamabad was also urged by the participants to initial the landmine treaty and to sign an undertaking so that mines were never produced and deployed.

Those who spoke at the seminar — titled “Landmine issue on the Pakistan-Afghan border” and organised by the Pakistan Campaign to Ban Landmines and Community Motivation and Development Organisation — included ANP central joint secretary Afrasiyab Khattak, NWFP Jamaat-i-Islami chief Sirajul Haq, JUI-F senior leader Senator Gul Naseeb and Abdul Latif Afridi, a central leader of the ANP, besides Martin Cooke, political officer for the Canadian Embassy.

Speaking on the occasion, Afrasiyab Khattak called upon the government to revive its Afghan policy and to stop meddling in the affairs of the war-torn country. He said the idea of fencing and mining the Pakistan-Afghan border was floated to hoodwink the world community.

Martin Cooke underlined the need for avoiding mining the border, saying Canada was the first country that had ratified the Ottawa Mine Ban Convention. He said: “We have a long border with the United States, but we never proposed to mine the border.”

Senator Maulana Gul Naseeb, while describing his viewpoint, said Islam never allowed such things.

“It is part of the American and the imperialist forces’ agenda for 2025, by which time they want to wipe off Pakistan from the world map.” The imperialist forces were using Gen Pervez Musharraf to implement their agenda, he claimed.

Sirajul Haq said the consequences of mining the border would be severe.

“Like Saddam Hussein, who was used and then hanged, the US has been using Gen Musharraf for their vested interests,” the Jamaat-i-Islami leader claimed.—Agencies