Two infants freeze to death near Torkham

Authorities refuse to open border gates and let Afghan family through.


Our Correspondent January 23, 2015
The Naib Tehsildar of Torkham, Naik Muhammad, said both girls died in an area that does not fall in his jurisdiction. STOCK IMAGE.

LANDI KOTAL: The severe cold and alleged apathy of political administration officials claimed the lives of two infant Afghan girls at the Torkham border.

Independent sources in the area said an Afghan family of around 15 to 20 people was en route from Kashmir to their native country and reached the Torkham border on Thursday night. However, the border gates are usually closed after 8pm and no one is allowed to cross into the neighbouring country. While authorities usually cooperate and open them in an emergency situation; they failed to do so in this case.

Sources added the family repeatedly asked for the gates to be opened, but the officials refused. The severe cold resulted in the death of 12-month-old Farmina and five-month-old Gul Meena. Sources blamed the political administration for the deaths of the two infants.

The Naib Tehsildar of Torkham, Naik Muhammad, said both girls died in an area that does not fall in his jurisdiction. He claimed that when authorities heard about the family arriving at the border, they asked the parents to take the girls to a nearby hospital, but they failed to do so.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 24th, 2015.

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