People demand release of relatives from Afghan jails

PESHAWAR: Relatives of Pakistanis who have been imprisoned in Afghanistan have appealed to the authorities in Kabul and Islamabad to set them free so that they reunite with families.

Speaking at a news conference at Peshawar Press Club on Monday, Akbar Ali, Khair Rehman, Sajjad Khan and others said a number of Pakistani youth had gone to Afghanistan in search of jobs but the Afghan authorities had arrested them on the charges of spying.

They deplored that they were later put behind bars on the directives of Afghan Supreme Court. The relatives said after completing their sentences, the Afghan government had informed them about the release of their relatives but they had now gone missing.

They deplored that after release from Afghan jails, their relatives had been shifted to some undisclosed places. The relatives said involvement of Pakistanis in any anti-state activities could not be proved in the Afghan Supreme Court. They asked the Afghanistan and Pakistan governments to extend assistance in the safe recovery of their relatives.