KABUL: Afghanistan’s defence ministry has begun ordering soldiers who have families in Pakistan to move them to Afghanistan in a bid to rid the army of Taliban infiltrators, officials said Saturday.
The new policy was crafted in response to a recent spate of incidents in which Afghan soldiers reportedly with links to militants carried out attacks against Nato troops.
“We have been told to ask our soldiers who have relatives in Pakistan to move them to Afghanistan,” Abdul Hamid Hamid, the army corps commander in Kandahar, told AFP, adding that the policy was not yet finalised.
“Sometimes their families are used as hostages by some intelligence agencies to put pressure on them to do what they don’t want to,” he said.
Most of the soldiers who are recruited in Kandahar have families in Pakistan, he added.
The militants, who are believed to have sanctuaries in Pakistan, have waged an increasing insurgency against the US-backed Afghan government and foreign forces.
“We have put up more strict rules in enlisting the new recruits. Those who have families in Pakistan are checked more seriously,” ministry of defence spokesman Daulat Waziri said.
Afghan counterintelligence officials have already compiled lists of soldiers with ties to Pakistan. In some parts of the country, soldiers on the list have been told: Move or leave the army.
“We’ve told them, ‘If you can’t move your families, you’ll be kicked out,’ ” said Col. Abdul Shokor, the top Afghan counterintelligence official in the Afghan army’s 205th Corps, the Washington Postreported.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 19th, 2012.
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There should be insaniath in us human beings. Refugees are human beings and suffering too like any other Pakistani. The entire nation feels like a refugee by being so deprived and living below subnormal life style. We all need God's blessings. The ugly war was waged on both Afghanistan and Pakistan and the world powers (they too have a responsibility of dumping this war) need to provide Pakistan economic assistance big time to help with the situation. Only honest and smart leadership can see through this crisis and help the nation get through this. God Bless Pakistan and its refugees!
@IndiKid: India with its $1.8 Trillion economy and 1.2 Billion population is hosting 20k Afghans If I believe your estimates and Pakistan hosted over 5 Million Afghans with having 1.6 billion IMF given, foreign reserves, and you come here telling us you don't talk about them?? I have to applaud you for that & I hope you have learned enough maths skills to differentiate between 20,000 & 5,000,000. The Ummah concept is only used by those who are short sighted and are brainwashed by those few right wing politicians who roam around in luxury cars bought with the Saudi and Gulf countries money.
Finally
@PTI: There are some 20000 Afghan refugees in India too. We never talk about them like that. What happened to your Ummah concept?
@Nothing new: Please do not compare Muhajir people with Afghan refugees. Muhajirs are true Pakistani patriots who sacrificed everything, and participated in the Pakistan Movement to come to Pakistan, which is their country and in which they have a right to live as free citizens.
Afghan refugees are NOT Pakistanis, but rather temporary burden on the country which the is the result of decades of war in their country. They all have to go back at one point. Your comparison comparing foreigners (Afghans) with Pakistanis (Muhajirs) is ridiculous
@PTI - All the children of refugees born in Pakistan have the opportunity to be educated within the Pakistan system and are Pakistani in the real sense. So, lets show greatness. After all Pakistan has always been a melting pot and is made up of multiple ethnicities and that is so great and unique about Pakistan.
Afghan refugees are good-for-nothings. They all live here, do not pay taxes and have caused billions of damages to Pakistan, not to forget the rise in terrorism, gun culture, opium etc ever since they came.
Unlike migrants who go to other countries and contribute to the local economy, these people do not produce any scientists, engineers, doctors. etc. In fact, there's been a rise in terrorists and suicide bombers because of our refugee problem with Afghanistan.
If a stable Pakistan is in our interest, our politicians should have the balls to send Afghan refugees back to wherever they came from.
@Insaan.....oh for God's sake, please throw this 'brother and sister" rubbish in the dustbin. Just go and talk to an Afghan and you'll see how they view Pakistan and how they talk about Pakistanis (especially Punjabis).
I am a Pakistani and I DO NOT care about Afghans, Afghans, please get out of my country. All of them need to be shipped back as they are an unneccessary burden. What was Pakistan's fault that the Soviets invaded Afghanistan? Why did they have to come to our country only? Just go and visit some of the places in Karachi and you;ll see how they've become crime/terrorism hotbeds after Afghans came there.
It is just a reminder how refugees that migrated to Pakistan from India were considered as outsiders for so long a time. The poor Afghan refugees are going through the similar phase. This too will pass and things will normalise with time. No need to worry, they too are proud Pakistanis as a outcome of the war.
It is not the fault of the Afghan refugees, it is the fault of the system and the evil war imposed upon the two countries. These refugees took refuge in Pakistan with their Pakistani brother and sisters and they are now Pakistanis and the Pak government should help them in every possible way in settling them. They are ambitious and hard working and have already contributed to the Pak economy. Every one in Pakistan is struggling and it is the responsibilty of the government to provide relief to all. Pakistanis are humanitarian people regardless of their hardships and struggles!
The sooner they move out, the better!
Another example of how Afghans view Pakistan. They dislike and suspect them to do inhuman things like holding families hostage.
Why bother . . .its too late, they are settled here and even born here or their children and grand children are born here and they are now Pakistanis. Their livlihood is also in Pakistan and they are comfortable, hard working Pakistanis. So, lets live and let live with a human heart.
Great news! Hopefully the Afghanistan government will bring back all Afghanis from Pakistan and work with NATO to build a big fence so that there is only controlled movement of people across the Pak Afghan border. I think Pakistan has suffered enough from housing these refugees from the times of the Soviets. The small sum of money given by the UNHCR means nothing compared to the billions of damages done to Pakistan. Look at how Peshawar looks now compared to how beautiful is was before all the Afghanis came. The Peshawaris all complain about the refugee influx damaged the region.
All afghans, get out of my country! You are a Parasite eating our resources & cause trouble in my country!
"Defence ministry orders soldiers to move families to Afghanistan ........." LOL...... Maybe they can be moved to India ? What are BFF for anyways?
not only troops' families can ALL afghans please leave pakistan and stop sponging on our country, we've had enough of these afghans at the expense of precious pakistani lives
Please move, for God's sake!
In fact, implement the rule straight away, those 'some' agencies will be most grateful to u too.
Any doubt who's intelligence agency they are referring to?
Good News for Pakistan
This can only be good news for Pakistan. The afghan army has an extended family of around 4 million in Pakistan. This rule by Afgan army should be applied with pains and penalties.
Why limit that request to just troops, please ask all Afghans to move out of Pakistan!
Instead of doing that NATO and Afghan forces should be focusing on illegal border crossing, They cant even protect their borders and put the blame on Pakistan for every failure, what NATO-Afghan forces have done in past 10 years?