LANDI KOTAL: Interior Minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan said on Wednesday that the Afghan leadership’s anti-Pakistan diatribe in an ‘enemy country’ could jeopardise the friendly relationship between the two neighbouring countries.

He said this during his first visit to the Pak-Afghan border at Torkham where he shook hands with Afghan border guards as a friendly gesture.

“The Afghan leadership should refrain from levelling baseless allegations of abetting terrorism and harbouring militant organisations while speaking at our enemy’s soil,” he said, referring to Afghan President Ashraf Ghani’s recent remarks against Pakistan in India.

Six additional routes to be established along Afghan border

Chaudhry Nisar said Pakistan had provided shelter and every possible help to millions of Afghans for more than 30 years and would continue to support the Afghan government for rebuilding the war-ravaged country.

“Pakistan has always considered enemies of Afghanistan as its own enemies and would continue to further strengthen the brotherly relationship with the latter despite suspected terrorists taking shelter in Afghanistan and carrying out terrorist attacks inside Pakistan,” he said.

The minister said the federal government had allocated Rs70 billion to raise a new border force for effectively monitoring the 2,000km border with Afghanistan, implementing the border management policy and preventing suspected elements from entering Pakistan from Afghanistan.

He announced that six additional routes would be established along the Afghan border to keep a vigil on the cross-border movement of suspected elements.

Chaudhry Nisar said a Nadra (National Database and Registration Authority) centre would soon be set up at the Torkham border to check and detect fake Pakistani CNICs used by some Afghan nationals for entering Pakistan.

He also announced the installation of a computerised vehicle scanner machine at the border for checking heavy vehicles and containers at the border crossing. He directed the border security officials to show maximum restrain and leniency with Afghans visiting Pakistan with legal travel documents and extend cooperation to Afghan patients.

Earlier upon his arrival at the Michni checkpost, which overlooks the Torkham border, the interior minister was briefed by Khyber Rifles Commandant Col Umar Farooq on security arrangements at the border and the importance of the historic Khyber Pass.

Chaudhry Nisar supported the Khyber Agency political administration’s idea of repairing the Khyber railway track and reviving the historic steam safari train. He assured political agent Khalid Mehmud that he would take up the matter with the federal railway minister.

Published in Dawn December 22nd, 2016