Pakistan says will revive biometrics on Afghan border

[Last Hope]

CHAMAN: Pakistan will next month reactivate a biometric computerised system to screen all travellers crossing a key Afghan border terminal, Interior Minister Rehman Malik said Wednesday.

Pakistan installed the system on a trial basis in January 2007 to try and control illegal cross-border traffic at Chaman, 100 kilometres from Quetta, the main town in insurgency-wracked Balochistan province.

But on the second day, thousands of Afghan tribesmen attacked the border gates, forcing authorities to close the crossing. The protest was against the biometric system, and a Pakistani plan to fence and mine parts of the border.

Further protests saw Pakistan to shelve the system.

“We have decided to reactivate the biometric system. I will inaugurate it on November 30, next month,” Malik told reporters in Chaman.

“Both Pakistan and Afghanistan need this system. It is necessary to keep an eye on everyone crossing the border and to stop illegal immigrants,” he added.

The system is designed to replace the previous permit system, by issuing border passes to people after recording their fingerprints, retinas or facial patterns for identification.

The porous Afghan-Pakistani border separates families and tribesmen, but also allows Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants to move with ease in their fight against US soldiers in Afghanistan and government forces in Pakistan.

Afghanistan and Pakistan have for months traded accusations of responsibility for deadly cross-border attacks further north than Chaman.

 

[darkinsky]

barb wire the whole border and don allow indians american or afghans through the border

 

[Major Sam]

barb wire the whole border and don allow indians american or afghans through the border

its not possible bec border is too long , 2nd terrain is such that u cant do it n whole border

 

[Last Hope]

Actually sir, we are going to mine and fence ALL the border. It is under progress, or in initial stages.

 

[Last Hope]

ISTANBUL, Turkey, Nov 2 (APP): Pakistan and Afghanistan on Wednesday decided to launch bio-metric system at their border from the last week of November this year. In a meeting held here Minister for Interior, Rehman Malik and his Afghan counterpart, Bismillah Khan Muhammadi agreed that both the countries would jointly work to control illegal border crossing and elimination of terrorism. Rehman Malik said Pakistan desires peace and stability in Afghanistan which is linked to progress and prosperity in the region.

The Minister also held a meeting with Turkish Interior Minister, Idrees Naeem Shaheen and both the sides decided to constitute a joint Task Force to check illegal arrival of Pakistanis in Turkey.
The Task Force would look into matters relating to deportation of illegal immigrants and inform Pakistani authorities about the Agents, so that legal action could be taken against them.
Both the sides also agreed that Turkey would provide modern training to Pakistan’s police and other concerned agencies so as to check human smuggling. On the invitation of Rehman Malik, Turkish Minster for Interior would visit Pakistan soon.

 

[Devil Soul]

Islamabad, Kabul to put biometrics at border this month
Published: November 3, 2011
In a meeting of interior ministers of the two countries held in Turkey on Wednesday, Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed to launch bio-metric system at their border from the last week of this month.
Islamabad has been urging Kabul to establish the system on its side of the border to check the illegal movement of Afghans across borders and to document people entering and exiting the two countries.
Interior Minister Rehman Malik and his Afghan counterpart Bismillah Muhammadi met in Istanbul on the sidelines of a key conference on Afghanistan. The two ministers decided to work jointly to control illegal border crossings and to eliminate terrorism.
“Pakistan desires peace and stability in Afghanistan which is linked to progress and prosperity in the region,” said a statement issued by his office in Islamabad on Wednesday.
Malik also met with his Turkish counterpart Idrees Naeem Shaheen and the two decided to constitute a joint task force to check trafficking of Pakistanis to Turkey. The task force would look into matters relating to deportation of illegal immigrants and inform Pakistani authorities about the human traffickers, so that legal action could be taken against them.
Turkey also agreed to provide modern training to Pakistan’s police and other agencies on checking human smuggling. At Malik’s invitation, the Turkish interior minister would visit Pakistan soon.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 3rd, 2011.

 

[Ark-Angel]

This should have been done long ago. We must also fence and MINE the border on EMERGENCY basis.
Aur Khuda K Liye Khyber Pass ko theek kr dein (I mean road should be re-constructed).