Wednesday, August 23 2006 16:13 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Islamabad: A traditional gateway to India on the Pakistan-Afghanistan border has become the subject of a row between Islamabad and Kabul that New Delhi is accused of fanning.

Pakistan's National Highway Authority (NHA) has removed an old gate at the gateway, at Torkhan at Khyber Pass 16 km from Peshawar, without consulting Afghanistan. It wants to put up another whose design Kabul does not approve.

In the process, the Dawn newspaper says, Khyber Pass has been without a gate for one month. It does not indicate what precisely is Kabul's objection.

Quick to blame India for anything, Pakistanis say New Delhi is to blame for Afghanistan's objections.

Requesting anonymity, one Pakistani official said the "Indian consulate in Jalalabad was fanning this issue".

Pakistan has been accusing India of using its embassy in Kabul and four consulates, including at Jalalabad and Kandahar, for carrying out 'anti-Pakistan activities'. India denies the charge.

New Delhi does not use this route which served as the gateway to India for over two millennia - much since Pakistan does not allow passage of Indian goods meant for Afghanistan.

The border post at Torkham is the main entry and exit point between Afghanistan and Pakistan. It is a drab and dry affair compared to the military pomp and show at Wagah, Pakistan's entry point to India.

The National Highway Authority says it removed the gate as part of a plan to renovate and expand a kilometre-long road leading to the border from Landi Kotal in Pakistan.

Afghan officials posted at Torkham raised objections about the design of the new gate when NHA wanted to reconstruct the gate at its old location a month ago.

Officials posted in Landi Kotal failed in their attempt to resolve the matter with their Afghan counterparts.

"The local administration tried to hush up the matter and belittle the gravity of the Afghan objections," said Dawn.

The Afghan security chief at Torkham, Syed Qahar Bacha, refused to comment but said the issue had been conveyed to Kabul for consultations with Pakistan.

An Afghan embassy official in Islamabad said his Government was not informed before the gate was demolished.

He said the new gate could only be built with the approval of his government.

He said it was only after their protest over the design of the gate that a communication was received from Pakistan stating, "The new gate was to be constructed and expanded in order to facilitate the transportation of goods to Afghanistan through Torkham."