Balochistan Officials Reject Claim That Thousands of Former Afghan Soldiers Were Moved to the Province
A claim by a member of Pakistan’s Balochistan provincial assembly that thousands of former Afghan soldiers had been transferred to the province was not endorsed by provincial government officials, who called for documents and evidence.
Fazal Qadir Mandokhail, a member of the Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam party, raised the issue during a session of the Balochistan assembly while debate was underway on a resolution about the security and public order situation in the province. He claimed that thousands of former Afghan army personnel had been moved to areas under Pakistani control near the Durand Line.
Provincial government representatives in Balochistan rejected the claim and said concrete evidence would be needed for such an allegation. Bakht Muhammad Kakar, Balochistan’s health minister, also told reporters after the session that anyone with information about the presence of former Afghan soldiers should provide their documents to the relevant institutions.
He stressed that parliament can be a place to raise such issues, but making unsupported allegations could cause public concern and confusion. According to him, claims should be made on the basis of facts and evidence.
According to the report, Mandokhail did not present any document to support his claim, either in the assembly session or in comments to the media. The Balochistan provincial government has also said it has no reliable information or evidence on the matter.
The remarks come after the Taliban administration had previously accused Pakistan of supporting its armed opponents. The Durand Line, the disputed border between Afghanistan and Pakistan, is considered one of the sensitive issues in relations between the two sides.
