November 17, 2001	Saturday	Ramazan 1, 1422

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QUETTA, Nov 16: The Balochistan government has decided to strictly check the influx of new Afghan refugees and armed people who attempt to slip into Pakistan would be arrested in the eventuality of the Talibans vacating Kandahar.

The decision in this regard was taken at a meeting presided over by Governor Amirul Mulk Mengal here, a provincial government spokesman said here on Friday.

“Heavy contingents of law-enforcement agencies have been deployed effectively at all regular and possible entry points,” he said adding that Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan had been sealed and no refugee was being allowed to cross into Balochistan.

The spokesman clarified that no unusual activity was witnessed on the border at Chaman, Zhob, Chaghai and Qila Saifullah in the back droop of the fast changing situation in Afghanistan. Chaman is closed to Kandahar and the region is under Taliban control.

The border with Afghanistan was sealed but, under the government policy, Pakistan was allowing only old, women, children, disabled and injured to cross into Pakistan and a temporary protection camp was established with the help of the UNHCR at Killi Faizo, Chaman, for them.

The government has registered 794 Afghans in the relief centre during the last four days - 137 men, 262 women and 395 children under 12 years of age - the spokesman said and added that Taliban armed guards deployed at the border persistently stopped the people from crossing over to Pakistan. He said the guards forced them to shelter in camps at Spin Boldak in Afghanistan with the help of different NGOs, including Edhi Foundation, that was sending food, medicines and other required items for the refugees. Over 12,000 Afghanis were living in the three camps.

The spokesman said there was a big commercial centre of smuggled goods, including electronics, crockery and vehicles, on the border at Chaman, known as Wesh Mandi.

Majority of the people who work or run their business in the market are either old Afghan refugees living in the province or Pakistani people belonging to Chaman. Those people every morning cross into Wesh in thousands and return in the evening.

The movement of those people created the impression that they were Taliban or new refugees, the spokesman said and added that the personnel of the Frontier Corps at the border strictly checked the documents, including identity cards, of the people before allowing them to cross into Pakistan.

The spokesman said the government would strictly implement its policy would not allow Taliban and new refugees to cross into Pakistan.