10,000 protest against govt plans to build Afghan/Pakistan border fence
(11 Jan 2007) 1. Wide of Afghanistan-Pakistan border gate 2. Various of Afghan protestors sitting on ground 3. Pan protestors waving Afghan flags 4. Various of Afghan soldiers and protesters 5. Afghan soldiers with border gate in background 6. SOUNDBITE (Pushto) Qari Ameen Ullah, Afghan School Principle: "We oppose the mining and fencing of the Pakistan-Afghanistan Border and we condemn foreign interference in Afghanistan." 7. SOUNDBITE: (Pushto) Fida Muhammad Khan, Pashtun leader: "We don't like foreign forces in Afghanistan, we defeated the USSR." 8. Various of Afghan protestors gathered by border crossing STORYLINE: More than 6 thousand mainly ethnic Pashtun tribesmen held a demonstration on Thursday in protest at stricter border controls introduced by Pakistan. The rally was held in the Afghan border town of Waish, across from the Pakistani town of Chaman, near where Pakistan on Wednesday opened its first biometric control system to screen travellers as a measure against cross-border movement by militants. The protesters gathered near the Bab-e-Dosti checkpoint, or the Friendship Gate, hurling stones at the structure and breaking windows. No one was injured in the riot, those who witnessed the rally said. Pakistani authorities closed the border when the protest began and security at the checkpoint was stepped up. More than 400 Afghan armed security personnel, including policemen, soldiers and border guards were deployed, Afghan security officials said. In addition to the biometric controls, Pakistan has also announced plans to build barbed-wire fences and plant landmines along selected sections of the border as part of a measure which has drawn strong criticism from Afghan officials. "We oppose the mining and fencing of the Pakistan-Afghanistan border and we condemn foreign interference in Afghanistan," Qari Ameen Ullah, a school principle told the gathering. Afghan officials have repeatedly said that Taliban militants are hiding in Pakistan to stage attacks against Afghanistan's US-backed government. Pakistan denies the allegations. Under the new identification system, Pakistani authorities will issue biometrics compatible "border passes" to the residents of Chaman and the surrounding Qila Abdullah district to allow them to travel to Afghanistan after passing through the controls. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: / ap_archive Facebook: / aparchives Instagram: / apnews You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/you...
