Guwahati News Desk: Ruling out the possibility of allowing the long-term presence of US troops coming from Afghanistan in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday announced that the American forces’ stay in the country would only be for a limited period.
Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmad told media that the US troops came to Pakistan after completing the evacuation from Afghanistan and informed that their stay would be only for a limited period. He further informed that they have been issued transit visas ranging from 21 to 30 days.
According to the sources, Ahmad’s response came after pictures of US troops at Islamabad airport circulated on social media, sparking rumors about a possible long-term presence of American forces on Pakistani soil.
Regarding the numbers of people entering Pakistan, as many as 2,192 individuals had entered Pakistan from the Torkham border, while 1,627 had come to Islamabad by air, and also a small number of people had come from the Chaman border.
Also, when asked as to what was the status of individuals crossing into Pakistan from Torkham and Chaman borders, the minister said that none of them had been given the status of refugees.
The minister also informed that many people travelled between Pakistan and Afghanistan through the Chaman border on a daily basis, and informed that many Afghans entered Pakistan from this border and returned to their country.
Regarding the issuance of visas to those coming from Afghanistan, he asserted that it was not a money-making exercise and that no target had been set to generate funds through this activity.
Moreover, he informed that a normal visa fee was being charged from these people, while visas on arrival were being issued for free of cost.
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