Bugti confident in negotiating Chaman sit-in

ISLAMABAD:

Caretaker Interior Minister Sarfaraz Bugti said on Monday that the government wanted to resolve the Chaman sit-in issue through negotiations, stressing that it was not possible to allow 40,000 people every day to cross the border without proper travel documents.

Responding to concerns raised by senators regarding the sit-in staged by local residents and businessmen against the recently implemented border regulations, Bugti outlined plans to regularise the border with Afghanistan, similar to the Torkham and Wagah borders.

“We held a detailed discussion with the representatives of the sit-in, and our preference is to resolve the issue through negotiations,” the ministers told the senators. However, he emphasised that the Afghan nationals would be permitted to enter Pakistan only through legal documents.

“The government wanted to implement a unified document regime in line with previous practices,” he said. He added that it was not possible for the government to allow foreigners to travel and establish businesses anywhere in Pakistan without following proper procedures.

Earlier, senators had drawn attention towards the sit-in issue at Chaman by local residents and businessmen, expressing concerns about its potential adverse impact on the livelihoods of nearly 40,000 people, who rely on daily border crossings.

The senators called for an urgent solution that issue effectively balances security concerns with the economic well-being of the affected population. Bugti reiterated the government’s commitment to treating all the border points equally.