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LANDI KOTAL, July 12: Government officials at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border in Torkham quashed speculation about border closure and deployment of additional security force in the area.
Rumours were swirling in this tribal area that the Torkhum border had been closed following an attack on the Pakistan embassy in Kabul on July 9.
It was also reported by a section of the press that the government had deployed additional force on the border.
Talking to Dawn, Tehsildar Torkham Bakhtiar Khan clarified that no restrictions had been imposed on the movement of those who had legal travelling documents. “We have not received any instructions from the high-ups in this respect, and things stand as they were,” he said.
Mr Bakhtiar said that vehicular traffic was also not disrupted, and aid and trade convoys’ two-way movement was continuing unhindered.
“The main gate is still guarded by the jawans of the Frontier Constabulary and Khasadar Force as before,” he added.
A clearing agent in Torkhum, Nasir Khan, also said that they faced no difficulties in sending their merchandise to Afghanistan.
He said that entry of only those Afghans was restricted who had no valid documents. He said that relations between the two sides’ border guards were very friendly and cordial, and so far no untoward incident had occurred.
Nisar Ahmad, who takes care of Bacha Maina truck Adda, also dismissed reports of border closure as pure speculation. He informed that the situation at the border was normal, and security guards on both sides were very cooperative.
He said there were no restrictions on trade activities or vehicles movement.
He clarified that immigration authorities on the Afghan side had on July 10 stopped their nationals from entering Pakistan. But that restriction, too, was lifted after a few hours, he said.
SHOPKEEPERS HELD: Political authorities in Bara sub-division of Khyber Agency have arrested 46 protesting shopkeepers who had staged a hunger strike at the Khyber House on Friday.
The authorities had closed down more then 500 shops owned by residents of Sipah tribe in connection with the abduction of a customs official and his friend.
Customs official Amanullah and his friend Zakria were kidnapped on June 24 from Sipah area. Later, their vehicle was recovered from Yousuf Talaab village but the two remained untraced.
The shopkeepers, whose shops were sealed by the administration on Friday, set up a hunger strike camp in front of the office of Political Agent Khyber Agency.
The authorities, after pressing the protesting shopkeepers for a negotiated settlement of the dispute, picked 46 of them, and sent them to the Bara lock-up. Later, 10 of them were sent to the Dera Ismail Khan jail while the rest were shifted to the Jamrud lock-up.
The protesters also took out a precession on Saturday in Bara and condemned the arrest of their colleagues and closure of their shops.
They demanded of the administration to immediately release the arrested shopkeepers and open their shops. They said a representative jirga be constituted to help resolve the matter through negotiations.
DOMICILE ISSUE: Meanwhile, a number of students from the Sipah tribe have complained that the political tehsildar Bara has refused to issue them domiciles.
They complained that if they were refused domiciles, they would also be refused admission to educational institutions.
