Newsmen’s visit prohibited
PESHAWAR- The Afghan Refugees Commissionerate has told the Federal Ministry of State and Frontier Regions (Safron) that additional forces were required to effectively restrict Afghan refugees to their camps.
The Commissionerate has also put a ban on the visit of newsmen, working for the foreign media, to the Afghan refugee camps and advised them to get a formal permission from the Commissionerate if they want to visit camps around Peshawar.
The step has been taken after ‘revenge threats’ hurdled by the US for the safety of foreigners. The Commissionerate officials at the Jalozai camp that they had returned three groups of newsmen, who arrived here without having any permission from the Commissionerate.
Afghan refugees were seen shocked over the US threats. “We are opposed to all forms of terrorism. We condemn terrorist attacks. But we have nothing to do with the crimes of others,” Taza Gul, who arrived here some eight month back from Balkh province, said.
He said the UNHCR, WFP and other organisations had pulled out their personnel from these camps some days ago. They did a lot for the welfare and betterment for the refugees, he added.
He said two media teams from Norway visited them and inquired about their feelings on attitude of the US and its European and Asian allies. “Everybody is arriving here to film our miseries and mint money out of it,” he observed.
Foreign newsmen continued pouring in the city with their instruments and kept shuttling between the Press Information Department (PID) and Home Department to obtain permits for moving towards Torkham.
The government has closed the border for all those who were converging at Torkham from all parts of Afghanistan and prevented their entry in Pakistan. Hundreds of fear-bound families have assembled on the other side of the gate at Torkham.
The religious parties have also started a campaign in favour of Taliban and Osama Bin Laden.
The Islami Jamiat-i-Talaba, a youth wing of the Jamaat-i-Islami, took out a procession from the Peshawar University and after marching through the city staged a demonstration in front of the Peshawar Press Club.
Source: Dawn
Date:9/18/2001
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