GILGIT, April 21: A joint team of Pakistan and China will arrive here from Islamabad to investigate into an alleged arms smuggling into Chinese territories last week, Northern Areas official spokesman Saeed Ahmed Khan said.
Mr Khan, who is also Northern Areas home secretary, said that over seven kalashnikov assault rifles and 30 bore pistols along with boxes of rounds were allegedly smuggled into China on Chinese trucks.
The arms and ammunition were reportedly purchased from Peshawar and smuggled into China by hiding them in secret cavities of the trucks which were returning to China after off-loading the imported goods at Sust customs check point, he said.
Mr Khan said that the weapons were caught in China which were reportedly being supplied to the Islamic rebels in Kashgher territory, which borders Pakistan. He said Chinese authorities had arrested the truck drivers.
DEMAND: The NWFP government has demanded of the Northern Areas administration to send back the Frontier Constabulary personnel to deploy them as reinforcement to the ongoing operation against Al Qaeda suspects in South Waziristan Agency.
Sources said that over 2,000 FC men were deployed in the Northern Areas to keep law and order since early 90s. The sources said that the administration had expressed its inability to comply with the demands of the NWFP government given the sensitivity and the sectarian-ridden environment in the region.
Check posts: The Northern Areas police chief, Sakhiullah Tareen, has claimed that police had set up check posts in Diamer on KKH and in Ghizer district to halt smuggling.
