Movement at Torkham border restricted

LANDIKOTAL: The Pakistani and Afghan authorities restricted movement of their citizens and Pak-Afghan Dosti buses were also barred from crossing the Torkham border on Wednesday, official and tribal sources said.

Hundreds of Afghan and Pakistani nationals, who didn’t possess proper travelling documents, were refused entry through the border.

Afghan border officials sent back several Pak-Afghan Dosti buses carrying Afghan passengers to Jalalabad while the Pakistani officials also barred their nationals from crossing the border without proper travelling documents, officials confirmed.

Meanwhile, the Landikotal administration officials at the Michini checkpost arrested dozens of Afghan nationals who had crossed the Torkham border through unfrequented routes. They had entered Pakistan without visas and were deported to Afghanistan.

Afghan officials were seen advising their people not to go to Pakistan without documents, Afghan sources said.

They said loudspeakers were fixed on the police mobile vans and driven on Torkham-Jalalabad highway to inform travellers of the situation before coming to Torkham border.

Reports said the Khyber Rifles commandant had issued strict orders to the security forces deployed at the Pakistani side of Torkham to do checking and verification of people.

Security was put on high alert after Afghan police twice tortured Pakistani labourers in Kabul recently. The situation got tense when several Afghan nationals were beaten.

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