Torkham [Pakistan], August 20 : Two Afghan nationals were arrested at the Torkham border with foreign currency of 100,000 Saudi Riyals, Dawn news reported on Sunday.
Dawn News reported that the anti-money laundering force on Saturday informed that the currency was detected with the help of sniffer dogs from a wheelchair used by one of the arrested Afghans to cross the border.
The authority informed that the two arrested were identified as brothers and were shifted to the local prison.
This arrest comes when the customs clearing agents at the Torkham border have accused the customs staff of deliberately delaying clearance of edibles, especially fresh fruits and vegetables, Dawn news reported.
The officials alleged that due to the prolonged delay in clearance of these perishable items during the current hot weather, a sizable quantity of their consignment got rotten and spoiled, causing them monetary losses.
Torkham Border is a border between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Several medical patients and passengers at the Torkham crossing complained of harassment by the Pakistani police, Tolo News reported on Friday.
The Afghans also said that the Pakistani police demanded money from them under a variety of pretexts.
They said that despite having the legal documents, there was no convenience for them, and that all passengers, including women and children, are facing problems.
The travellers further said that Pakistan has not properly addressed this issue, and patients and passengers have been dealing with it for years."They mistreat us. They do not let us pass. They force us to pay them,” Tolo News quoted a patient named Shir Ali, who went to Pakistan for his illness to be treated."They say the scanner is broken, although it is functional. They bother passengers for cash. You may pass with ease if you give a thousand,” said Zabihullah, another passenger.
Medical patients and passengers asked the Taliban authorities to solve this problem, Tolo News reported."I ask both sides to be kind to the passengers and provide facilities for them. Facilitate visa and transportation convenience. Why do they stop us when we have a passport?" said Rustam Khan, a passenger.
The Torkham Commission officials said they have spoken with Pakistani authorities about this issue, but the commitments made in this respect have not been fulfilled."We shared the issues with high-ranking officials in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry of Refugees and Repatriation, and in the same way, we shared with the Consul General of Pakistan here,” Tolo News quoted Hafiz Ismatullah, the commissioner at Torkham.
According to official figures, 2,400 people from Afghanistan have visited Pakistan for medical treatment in the past three months, with an average of 120 patients each day, Tolo News reported.
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