LANDI KOTAL: The stranded Afghans resorted to vociferous sloganeering and angry wailing after they were expelled from the main mosque in Landi Kotal where they had taken shelter since Friday last when Pakistan closed all its borders with Afghanistan.

Around 100 Afghans, all men of different age groups, had taken shelter in the main mosque at Landi Kotal Bazaar with some of them spending chilly nights on cemented platforms in front of the closed shops.

Most of the stranded Afghans have no proper facilities to protect themselves from nighttime cold. They were forcibly expelled from the mosque. It angered most of them and they started chanted slogans to protest what they called the apathy of the caretakers of the mosque.

Abdul Khaliq, one of the affected Afghans, termed their expulsion an inhuman act. He said that they had no other place to go as they were not allowed to cross the border.

Around 100 Afghans had taken shelter in mosque after closure of border

Mr Khaliq said that most of them could not afford to go back to Peshawar as they were running short of money. He requested the border authorities to ‘deport’ them on humanitarian grounds as they were not even allowed to stay in the ‘houses of Allah’ (mosques).

Sher Ali, another stranded Afghan, said that local people in Landi Kotal had also refused to allow them to stay in their hujras. He said that it was against the Pakhtun traditions of hospitality.

“We are here out of compulsion and not at our own sweet will,” he said. He added that they would immediately leave for Afghanistan once the border was opened.

“It is very unfortunate that the government of Pakistan has unilaterally closed its border and the local residents have shut down their doors on us,” he said.

The local political administration earlier in the day distributed free food among the stranded Afghans at Landi Kotal Bazaar. The Afghans were later invited for night stay at the Tableeghi Markaz in Sajamala near the bazaar.

COMPENSATION: The Khyber Agency political administration on Sunday distributed cheques among 300 recently rehabilitated families of Bara as compensation for their damaged houses.

Additional Political Agent Mir Raza Ozgan gave away cheques to the affected families during a ceremony held at Levies Centre in Shah Kas.

The returned families included 148 from Akkakhel tribe, 110 from Sipah tribe and 42 from Malakdinkhel tribe. Officials said that Rs55,600,000 was distributed among 300 families with Rs400,000 for a fully damaged house and Rs160,000 for partially damaged house.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2017