Villages on the frontier have houses with one door in Pakistan and another in Afghanistan -
KANDHAR: Pakistan and Afghanistan plan to use Google Maps to help settle a border dispute that led to deadly clashes last week, officials from both sides said on Monday.
At least eight civilians were killed on both sides in fighting that began when a Pakistani census team accompanied by soldiers visited disputed villages along the southern border on Friday.
Pakistan inherited its 2,400-kilometre border with its western neighbour when it gained independence from Britain in 1947, but Afghanistan has never formally recognised it.
And while official Afghan maps reflect the so-called “Durand Line”, many nationalists believe the true border of their country ends at the River Indus that runs though Pakistan and gave India its name.
“Officials from the geological survey departments of the two countries will conduct a survey, and they will also make use of Google Maps,” said a senior Pakistani security source in Islamabad.
Abdul Razeq, the police chief of Afghanistan’s Kandahar province, added: “After negotiations, both sides have agreed that a geological survey should be conducted.
“Technical teams of both countries will use GPS and Google Maps as well as other means to get the answer.”
Internet firm Google complies with local laws in certain countries that compel it to show borders in line with national demands. For instance, its Indian site shows the entirety of disputed Kashmir as controlled by India. In Pakistan, however, the site shows the internationally recognised de facto border, the Line of Control, marked with a dotted line to denote it is disputed. — AFP
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