PrintMarch 2, 2004
A Tale of Two Fences
India announced Monday that a 340 mile long electrified fence, being constructed along the line of control in Kashmir that separates Indian and Pakistani forces, will be ready by summer.
There are some interesting parallels with Israel's current security fence, being constructed on or near the green line separating Israel and the West Bank territories. Pakistan claims the Indian fence violates bilateral agreements and UN resolutions. India says the fence is necessary to keep out rebel extremists from Pakistan, who want to seize the Indian portion of Kashmir, and merge it into Pakistan. In several wars and numerous skirmishes over more than 50 years between the two countries , over 65,000 people have been killed in fighting in Kashmir.
The Indian justification for the fence is identical to Israel's: to stop terrorists from crossing and causing murder and mayhem. With both fences, there is territory in dispute between two sides to a conflict. The two sides...(Read Full Article)
