Islamabad: Afghanistan has closed down camps
run by Baloch nationalist groups where some 5,000 people were
being trained, Pakistan`s Interior Minister Rehman Malik has
claimed.
The minister said that the camps had been shut down by
the Afghan President Hamid Karzai on requests by the the
Pakistan government.
"Karzai acted after Pakistan requested him to stop the
activities of the Baloch nationalist groups and the Afghan
President had admitted that some of the troubles in
Balochistan province were originating from his country," Malik
contended.
"After we approached the President of Afghanistan with
facts and figures, he was kind enough to look into the matter
by promising to stop infiltration of miscreants from his side
of the border," Malik said during an interaction with
reporters at the National Press Club yesterday.
"There were training camps for 5,000 people in Kandahar
but they have been dismantled and their operators have moved
out of the area," he said.
The camps were being run while Baloch nationalist leader
Brahamdagh Bugti was present in Kabul, he added.
During a recent visit to Islamabad, Karzai was informed
about the infiltration of militants into Balochistan, Malik
said.
"President Karzai had promised to stop the infiltration
from Kandahar into Balochistan," he added.
Afghanistan had formally given an assurance that the
infiltration of militants into the Pakistan border town of
Chaman would be stopped.
The Afghan government had promised that insurgents would
not be allowed to operate in Pakistan from Afghanistan, he
said.
"We are monitoring the situation and those playing into
the hands of foreign forces to destabilise the country will
not be spared," Malik said.
At the same time, the government is creating an
environment conducive to talks and Baloch leaders who show
"respect for the national flag" would be welcomed if they
returned to Pakistan, he said.
"If these people want their rights as Pakistani
nationals, they will definitely get them," he said, blaming
Brahamdagh Bugti for the deteriorating situation in
Balochistan.
Pakistan had requested Karzai to deport Bugti, after
which he left Afghanistan, Malik claimed. After Bugti`s
departure from Kabul, the situation in Balochistan was under
control, he further claimed.
A total of 135 cases had been registered against Baloch
nationalists and a number of them were withdrawn when a
special development package for Balochistan was launched.
The process of closing the remaining cases is underway.
The Interior Ministry has written a letter to the
Balochistan Chief Secretary to withdraw "politically motivated
cases", Malik said.
"However, cases filed by private citizens and families of
a deceased will have to be settled in court," he said.
Malik contended that the phenomenon of "missing persons"
or Baloch activists detained without charge was a serious
issue but had been blown out of proportion.
While 6,000 people had been reported as "missing"
initially, the Balochistan Chief Minister’s office has now
estimated that only 800 were missing, he claimed.
Two judicial commissions were investigating this issue,
Malik said.
PTI
