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US conveys concern to Musharraf on Taliban hiding in border camps
Naveed Miraj ISLAMABAD: The future of Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan has become a major issue in bilateral relations between Pakistan and the Unites States, an official told The Frontier Post on Tuesday. He disclosed he issue was a point of hot discussions during President Pervez Musharrafâs visit to the US, as intelligence gathered by American agencies showed many Taliban sympathizers were using refugee camps located close to the border for hiding. âUS intelligence reports say Taliban fighters cross the frontier to launch attacks on Afghan and allied forces and then come back to hide in the refugee camps on this side of the Durand Line,â the official revealed.
| Fancy that. Who'da thunkit? |
One proposal forwarded by the US is that the refuge camps located near the border be shifted to areas deeper in Pakistani territory. âThis is a proposal that is not acceptable to Pakistan, because this could be very disturbing for the economic and social life in the areas where new camps would be set up,â he explained. Pakistan instead was asking the Bush administration to help send back these refugees to Afghanistan, he said, adding: âBoth the proposals entail a cost, and we would prefer the refuges to go back.â
| "That way they won't have to do all that border crossing stuff when they want to stage an attack..." |
But on the ground, the situation in Afghanistan has again slowed down the phased repatriation plan carried out under the aegis of the United Nations. âMost of the refugees donât want to go back as the security situation is not pretty precarious,â the source pointed out. Currently, government agencies are evaluating the pros and cons of both proposals and would finalize recommendations shortly. The recommendations will be submitted to President Musharraf.
Posted by: Fred Pruitt 2003-07-24 |
