Organization: The American University - University Computing Center
Date: Thu, 7 Jan 1993 10:35:34 EST
From: <OMARS@auvm.american.edu>
Newsgroups: soc.culture.afghanistan
Subject: Party offices ordered shut

From: clarinews@clarinet.com (ANWAR IQBAL)
Date: Wed, 6 Jan 93 10:40:54 PST



        ISLAMABAD, Pakistan (UPI) -- The government of Prime Minister Nawaz
Sharif, in a move said to be part of a crackdown on illegal immigration,
has ordered all Afghan political groups and 51 other Afghan
organizations to leave the country by the end of the month, a Foreign
Office spokesman said Wednesday.
        The crackdown is expected to affect about 1 million illegal
immigrants, mostly from India and Bangladesh, but it will not require
the return of some 1.7 Afghanis recognized by Islamabad and the United
Nations as refugees from the war in Afghanistan, the spokesman said.
        Observers said the action likely came in response to pressure from
Kabul and governments in the Middle East since the collapse of the
communist regime in Afghanistan last spring. Since the fall of President
Najibullah, some Afghan mujahideen rebels have been fighting the new
Kabul regime while guerrillas from other countries have turned to
intrigue against their own governments.
        A spokesman for the Foreign Office, however, characterized the move
as part of a broader crackdown on illegal immigration.
        ``It is part of a larger decision to oust all illegal aliens and
political groups from the country,'' the spokesman said.
        In addition to ordering the Afghan political parties and 51 Afghan
non-governmental organizations to leave, the government also directed
Afghan mujahideen groups to shut down their printing presses.
        Notices were served to the 51 non-governmental organizations, but
officials said 85 organizations registered with the government would be
allowed to remain.
        Offices are maintained by seven major Afghan rebel parties and scores
of other Afghan organizations that operated from Pakistan during the 14-
year struggle against the Communist regime in Kabul.
        Fighting continues among the rebel groups, and Afghan observers in
Islamabad said the order to close Afghan political offices was made at
Kabul's request.
        Kabul often has complained that rebel groups still use Pakistani
territory for anti-government activities as they did during the
Communist reign.
        The move also may be related to the spread of Muslim fundamentalism
that seeks to replace secular Arab governments with Iranian-style
theocracies.
        Observers said some Arab governments complained that Arabs who fought
with the Afghan rebels now were using their bases on the Pakistan-Afghan
border for conspiracies against their own governments.
        Earlier in 1992, Pakistan arrested and deported 19 Arabs from several
countries for illegal residence.
        The spokesman said the order would not apply to Afghan refugees. More
than 3.2 million refugees fled to Pakistan during the war. So far 1.5
million have returned and others were waiting for peace to return in
their war-ravaged country.
        ``The Afghan refugees have a special status. They are recognized as
political refugees by our government'' and the United Nations, the
Foreign Office spokesman said.