Author Profile: Syed Aseem Ul Islam is a Research Scholar at the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, USA, specializing in adaptive and model-predictive flight control systems. He received his bachelor’s degree in aerospace engineering from the Institute of Space Technology, Islamabad, and his master’s and Ph.D. degrees in flight dynamics and control from the University of Michigan.
With the withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan imminent there is a serious concern among Pakistani planners about the effects of the situation in that country spilling over into Pakistan.
The concerns are two-fold: First, preventing terrorist groups that may find safe haven in Afghanistan from crossing the border into Pakistan. Second, preventing an influx of refugees in response to a possible civil war in Afghanistan.
This is made clear by Prime Minister Imran Khan’s interview to the New York Times where he is quoted to have said:
“What if [the] Taliban try to take over Afghanistan through [the] military? Then we will seal the border, because now we can, because we have fenced our border, which was previously [open], because Pakistan does not want to get into, number one, conflict. Secondly, we do not want another influx of refugees.”
It is becoming increasingly likely that we will see a Taliban takeover of Afghanistan, followed by civil war.
Of course, the Pakistani state has been aware of this possibility and has made efforts to mitigate its effects. The much-touted border fence is mostly complete, with statements that it would be completed by June 30th.
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