Border restrictions continue on second day at Torkham

 

Afghans without visa denied entry into Pakistan

LANDIKOTAL: Hundreds of Afghan citizens remained stranded on the second day on the Afghan side of the Torkham border as the authorities did not allow Afghans to enter Pakistan without valid travel documents, officials and eyewitnesses said on Wednesday.

However, Political Tehsildar Torkham,Shakeel Umarzai, told The News that the border controls were relaxed after a flag meeting was held with the Afghan border officials.

Quoting the Commandant of Khyber Rifles, Colonel Tariq Hafeez, Shakeel Umarzai said the Afghan nationals were their brothers and Pakistan would continue helping them in time of need. He said the Afghan delegation that crossed over to the Pakistan side of Torkham for the meeting was convinced to cooperate with the Pakistani authorities so that illegal border crossings could be controlled. 

The Afghan delegation, headed by commissioner Qaseem, Colonel Nisar and Major Sayed Amin told their Pakistani counterparts to relax the border controls for Afghan nationals, especially for  patients, traders and those travelling  to Pakistan frequently to meet their family members residing in various cities of the country.

Colonel Tariq Hafeez told the Afghan officials that after the expiry of the deadline on April 30, nobody would be allowed to enter Pakistan without valid travel documents.

Qazi Zabihullah, a resident of Kunar province in Afghanistan working as education supervisor in an international NGO on the Afghan side of the Torkham border, told The News that more than 6,000 people were stopped from entering Pakistan on Wednesday morning. He said after an emergency flag meeting between Afghan and Pakistani officials, some of the stranded Afghans were allowed to enter Pakistan.

Qazi Zabihullah, who lives in Peshawar and frequently crosses the Pak-Afghan border, said that it would be hard for those who daily cross the Torkham border and go back to their homes in Pakistan if the border restrictions put in place were made permanent.

Torkham Customs Clearance Association General Secretary, Mujeeb Shinwari, told The News that there had been 50 percent decrease in the imports and exports from and to Afghanistan and the Central Asian countries due to the restrictions imposed by Pakistani authorities at the Torkham border. “Traders and businessmen have so far suffered billion of rupees losses. Hundreds of labourers have also been deprived of their means of livelihood as most of the shops, business centres and hotels were closed due to the current Torkham situation.

Sources in Torkham FIA office said that they have nominal entries in the last few days. He said Afghan mostly coming to Pakistan without valid visa.

Malik Asif of Dhaka village near the Torkham border in Afghanistan said that they had lived in Pakistan for 40 years. He said it would create a gulf between the two brotherly countries if the Afghan nationals were denied entry into Pakistan. “Around 0.4 million Pakistani professionals and labourers are working in Pakistan. If the Afghan nationals were expelled from Pakistan or denied entry, it would create hurdles for Pakistani citizens working in Afghanistan,” he cautioned.

He said soon a jirga of Afghan elders from Nangarhar province would visit Pakistan to discuss the matter both with the tribal elders and government officials. He asked the Pakistan government to relax the border restrictions for Pashtuns living on the both sides of the border. He said most of them had their blood relations and also businesses on both sides of the border and restricting their movement would inflict losses on them and cause social problems.