Pakistani Police Warns Protestors In Chaman To End Sit-in Due to Security Issues
Pakistan's Chaman Police sent an official letter warning thousands of protesters to end their sit-in "for security reasons".
Pakistan's Chaman Police sent an official letter warning thousands of protesters to end their sit-in "for security reasons".
Over the last 23 days, thousands of protestors have been staging a sit-in at Chaman city near the border with Afghanistan, protesting against the prohibition on travel without visas and passports across the Afghanistan-Pakistan border crossings.
Yet, the protestors call the "security threats" as an excuse to halt their sit-in, emphasising on their determination to not yield to pressure from the Pakistani government.
In the official letter that appears to have been issued on Friday, November 10, Chaman Police wrote to the organisers of the sit-in, "Several countries are trying to attack the sit-ins."
In the letter, the local police department announced its inability to provide security for the protesters in the open area and asked the protesters to either end their sit-in or move their protest to a closed space.
The local police department of Chaman has warned that otherwise the responsibility of whatever happens will be on the organisers of the sit-in.
Amir Mohammad, one of the protestors, responded to the warning of the local police and said that only "Pakistani soldiers" will attack us. He said that "Pakistani security forces will be responsible" if the protesters are harmed.
The Prime Minister of the interim government of Pakistan Anwar ul Haq Kakar has taken unprecedented decisions regarding the border issues and immigrants in the country during the recent months.
During the first month of their reign, the interim cabinet led by Kakar set a deadline for more than 1.7 million Afghan refugees to leave Pakistan by November 1.
With the deadline set, Pakistan's Ministry of Interior has launched a massive operation to detain and forcibly deport refugees.
The interim government of Pakistan has also decided to implement a "single document policy" for movement across the borders between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
According to the new decision of the government of Pakistan, passengers will not be able to cross the border crossings with any other documents except a passport and visa.
The recent decision by the Pakistani government marks the end of a period where travellers could utilise outdated documents like agreements of the British India period and national identity cards to cross the border.
