PESHAWAR, Feb 11: The Mine Action Programme for Afghanistan (Mapa), a coordinating body of anti-mine organizations, has shut down its training centre in Peshawar and shifted its offices to Kabul.

An official of a de-mining agency told Dawn on Monday that 10 other landmine clearance agencies were going to close their offices in Pakistan and planning to move their network to Afghanistan.

He said that the de-mining agencies with the technical assistance of the United Nations were working out a plan to survey the affected areas and would launch a de-mining operation after spring.

“But security is still our main concern, particularly in northern Afghanistan,” he said, adding that mine clearance agencies would concentrate on northern parts of the war-ravaged country.

More than 4,000 landmine workers are involved in de- mining operation in the war-torn country.

Sources said that the government of Japan had donated sophisticated machinery for de-mining operation and the consignment is expected to arrive at the Karachi port within a couple of days from where it would be shifted to Kabul.