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Transcript/ScriptPakistan Afghanistan Travel Restrictions – Zehri
HEADLINE: Locals Voice Against Travel Restrictions at Pakistan-Afghanistan Border
TEASER:
PUBLISHED: 10/26/2023 at 9:35p
BYLINE: Murtaza Zehri
DATELINE: Chaman, Baluchistan, Pakistan
VIDEOGRAPHER: Murtaza Zehri
VIDEO EDITOR: Murtaza Zehri
VIDEO SOURCE: VOA Original | Urdu Service
SCRIPT EDITORS: KEnochs; Baragona
PLATFORMS: WEB __ TV _X_ RADIO __
TRT: 1:57
TYPE: TVPKG
VID APPROVED BY: Jepsen
EDITOR NOTES: ))
((INTRO))
[[The Pakistani government has ordered all undocumented Afghans to leave the country by November 1. As part of that crackdown, the government is now requiring locals to present a visa or passport to cross the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, documents that many do not have. VOA’s Murtaza Zehri brings the story from the region, narrated by Bezhan Hamdard.]]
((NARRATOR))
A sit-in protest is now entering its second week at the national highway in Chaman district of Pakistan’s southwestern Baluchistan province. The protests are aimed at the government’s new rule that would allow entry into Pakistan only with visas and passports.
Protest organizers say the rule overturns decades-old practice.
((Sadiq Achakzai, President, Local Traders Association)) ((Male in Pashto))
“For 70 years, people have been travelling on this road only with identification cards and national identity cards. We do not accept any passport system.”
((NARRATOR))
The protest has been organized by local political parties and trader’s associations.
They say the new rule separates relatives.
((Haji Attaullah Khan, Baluchistan Awami Party)) ((Male in Pashto))
“People of Chaman and people of the border areas in Afghanistan are from the same tribe.”
Local political leaders also say allowing simple border crossing is essential for people’s livelihoods.
((Qari Imdadullah, Jamaat-e-Islami)) ((Male in Pashto))
“There is no fruit or crop yield in Chaman, nor is there any factory in this area. This border crossing provides us employment. Where will we earn our living if there are visa restrictions in place?”
((NARRATOR))
Baluchistan’s caretaker information minister, John Achakzai, visited Chaman and held talks with the people participating in the sit-in, but the talks failed.
((John Achakzai, Baluchistan’s Caretaker Information Minister)) ((Male in Pashto))
“Anyone who enters in the country from anywhere, he is bound to present a passport and visa. If you are entering in this country, you need to have your ID card, passport, and visa.”
((NARRATOR))
Pakistani authorities say around 10 thousand people enter through the southwestern border every day. The move is the latest development in the Pakistani government’s crackdown on undocumented Afghans.
((For Murtaza Zehri in Baluchistan, Pakistan – Bezhan Hamdard – VOANEWS))
NewsML Media TopicsArts, Culture, Entertainment and Media
NetworkVOA
Location (dateline)
in Baluchistan, Pakistan
Embargo DateOctober 26, 2023 23:22 EDT
Byline
Murtaza Zehri, VOA News
Brand / Language ServiceVoice of America - English
