Daily Times

LANDIKOTAL: Senator Taj Muhammad Afridi has asked Pakistan and Afghanistan not to impose a ban on the FATA tribesmen from freely crossing the Torkham border. Taj Muhammad Afridi was talking to reporters on Saturday and requested the Afghan and Pakistani governments to keep watch on the international conspiracies which could affect bilateral relations among the two Muslim nations.

The Senator said in the name of “border management”, tribals on both sides of the border were being prevented from crossing the Torkham border without travel documents. He suggested Rahdari cards as alternatives for visas during a border crossing. He said thousands of Pakistanis run their import and export businesses on the Afghan side of the Torkham border.

“Restricting Torkham border is directly depriving thousands of FATA people from their trade activities with Afghanistan and central Asian countries,” said Senator Taj. He said it was a tough task for the Pakistani government to send back four million Afghan refugees.

Taj said a large number of Afghan merchants have invested billion of rupees in Pakistan and run various types of small and big import and export businesses in Peshawar and other cities of Pakistan.

However, Taj urged Afghans to start winding up their businesses and sell their houses so that could ultimately go back to their country. After the repatriation of Afghan refugees, Taj Muhammad said Peshawar would face shortage of labourers and small business activities.