Around 3000 Afghans arrested due to illegal entry since last year

LANDI KOTAL: The security officers have arrested around 3,000 Afghan nationals for trying to enter Pakistan via Torkham border and other rarely used routes without legal travel documents since the implementation of the border management policy in June last year.

The officials said security and checking along the Afghan border had been tightened both at the assigned zero border crossing and unfrequented routes as a large number of Afghans not having valid travel documents continued to try their luck for illegal entry to Pakistan.

Officials of the Frontier Corps at Torkham said a detailed record of suspected terrorists and criminals was fed to a software programme used by intelligence personnel at the border crossing. Another software programme was installed at the National Database and Registration Authority’s Torkham offices, where fake Pakistani CNICs issued to Afghan nationals were detected.

The officials said interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan had approved the installation of that IT system during a recent visit to Torkham border. Officials said such elements were hesitant to approach the Nadra and passport offices due to the fear of arrest as all their criminal records were permanently placed there.

Source: The Nation