LANDI KOTAL, May 10: Political authorities on Wednesday arrested four Chinese women and their two Afghan companions at the Michani checkpoint near the Afghan border in the Khyber Agency, officials said.

Assistant Political Agent Ahmad Aurakzai told Dawn on Thursday that the Chinese women along with two Afghan nationals were going to Afghanistan via the Torkham checkpoint without valid travelling documents. The Afghan nationals have been identified as Naseer and Siddique.

Mr Aurakzai said that all six were handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) for interrogation.

He said that the Chinese women had valid travel documents for Pakistan but did not posses any visas for Afghanistan, and added that three of the women had work permits for Pakistan while the fourth possessed a tourist visa.

Officials said that a total of nine Chinese women had been arrested at the Torkham check post without travelling documents during the last one month.

A Chinese woman who was arrested a few days ago near the Pak-Afghan border was handed over to the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad for deportation.