Restricted mobility: ‘Reopen Pak-Afghan border’

Tribesmen say they cannot participate in family functions across the divide.

GHALLANAI:

Chief of a peace committee, Malik Sultan Mohmand of the Baizai tribe, on Tuesday demanded the reopening of the Pak-Afghan border for local tribesmen.

Addressing a jirga in Ghallanai, Mohmand Agency, Sultan said Khwazai and Baizai tribes living on both sides of the border have been participating in each other’s weddings and funerals for years. However, the border had to be closed due to security concerns, limiting their mobility and also affecting local trade and economy, he added.

Sultan urged Peshawar Commissioner Sahibzada Muhammad Anis, who was in Mohmand Agency on a visit and also attended the jirga, to reopen the border for locals.

Malik Subidar Safi, an elder of the Safi tribe, said the famous Ziarat mine has been closed down by the political administration for the past two weeks, due to which thousands of labourers are unemployed in the area. He demanded Frontier Corps (FC) and levies personnel guarding the mines be called back so the people can resume work.

Pandiyali elder Malik Sayed Mahmood Jan complained the government had paid financial compensation to those affected by militancy in Bajaur and other agencies. However, no compensation has been paid to the people of Mohmand Agency, he said.

In response to these statements, Peshawar Commissioner Anis said he had spoken to the FC Commandant and if the security situation improves, the border would be reopened not just for locals, but also for international trade.

The commissioner said he would also inquire from the Communication and Works Department, Ghallanai why repair work on the Ekka Ghund to Ghallanai Road has not yet been completed. The route has been in ruins due to heavy traffic passing over it with little maintenance.

Regarding reopening the Ziarat marble mine, Anis said he would discuss the issue with concerned officials. He added a survey would soon be conducted of the houses damaged by militancy-related incidents, while mobile phone and landline facilities would be provided to Ambar and Pandyali tehsils of the agency.

Earlier, Anis was briefed on the security situation in Mohmand Agency and along the Pak-Afghan border. He later visited Baizai sub-division’s headquarters where he inaugurated the newly constructed sub-divisional offices.

The Pak-Afghan border running through Mohmand Agency has been a major trade route in the past. However, it was closed in 2012 after a cross-border attack on a Pakistani check post and repeated attacks on trade caravans plying the route.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 19^th, 2013.