ISLAMABAD, Oct 21: The government has directed the border security forces to carry out extensive screening of refugees entering Pakistan, especially for illicit arms and ammunition.

Sources close to the interior minister told Dawn that the action was taken as Pakistan continues to be threatened by the influx of arms from the troubled region.

“It’s an incentive for the destitute refugees to bring a weapon to Pakistan and sell it for a few thousand rupees here.”

In response to a question, officials said the weapon stocks present in Afghanistan continue to sustain and fuel the conflict in that country.

Answering a question about steps taken by the government to stop the proliferation of weapons as happened in the case of Afghan war of 1980s, an official said: “Under directives of President Musharraf, the government has devised a multi-pronged policy involving actions against import, procurement, smuggling, possession and exhibition of weapons.”

“Since February of last year, we have not issued a single license for any weapon. We have also prohibited the public display of weapons,” an official said while giving details of the steps initiated by the Musharraf regime to check proliferation of weapons in the country.

The officials said that concrete recommendations in the specific areas relating to the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons are being drafted.

Voicing the security concerns of Pakistan, sources close to the interior minister said Pakistan continues to host nearly three million Afghan refugees and the number has further increased in recent months by new arrivals.

Answering a question about the number of Afghan refugees, sources said that 300,000 more Afghans have entered Pakistan since January this year. Bulk of the refugees, around 200,000, entered Pakistan after the imposition of sanctions by the UN security council on Afghanistan in December and some 100,000 are reported to have entered in the post-September 11 scenario through the NWFP and Balochistan.

After September 11, bulk of the refugees have entered the country through the long porous border with Afghanistan, an official conceded, adding, serious considerations are under way to seal the border with Afghanistan with barbed wire.

Sources said that the influx of new refugees is a matter of grave security concern for Pakistan.

Security agencies have reported about threats of creation of law and order situation by armed Afghan elements in different parts of the country, an official added.