Afghanistan: Information on a demonstration organized in Kabul in February 1994 against Pakistan after Pakistan closed its borders with Afghanistan and later killed three people who went on strike over the border closures
| Publisher | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Author | Research Directorate, Immigration and Refugee Board, Canada |
| Publication Date | 1 July 1998 |
| Citation / Document Symbol | AFG29652.E |
| Cite as | Canada: Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada, Afghanistan: Information on a demonstration organized in Kabul in February 1994 against Pakistan after Pakistan closed its borders with Afghanistan and later killed three people who went on strike over the border closures, 1 July 1998, AFG29652.E, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6abd67c.html [accessed 28 May 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
In a 12 January 1994 report, Reuters indicated that Pakistan had closed its border with Afghanistan for the first time in 15 years because of the "collapse of a temporary truce" between forces loyal to President Burhanuddin Rabbani and those of northern warlord General Abdul Rashid Dostum and Prime Minister Gulbuddin Hekmatyar.
Pakistani officials said the border at Torkham in the Khyber pass had been shut by order of the federal government. Border guards locked the huge iron gate at the frontier, from where about 15,000 refugees had crossed into Pakistan since fighting erupted on New Year's Day when Dostum launched a power grab in Kabul. 'The border has been closed for an indefinite period,' the government's political agent in the Khyber tribal area Habibullah Khan said. 'Only those seriously injured are allowed on humanitarian grounds,' an official at the border said. The official said, however, Afghans carrying valid travel documents would still be allowed in (ibid.).
None of the reports consulted by the Research Directorate mention the killing of three persons who went on strike over the border closures. All of the reports cite the killing of "three Afghan school-bus hijackers...by Pakistani commandos at the Afghan Embassy in Islamabad" as the reason for the demonstrations (Kyodo News International 28 Feb. 1994; Reuters 25 Feb. 1994; Xinhua 8 Sept. 1994; Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran 23 Feb. 1994). The Kyodo News International also cites the closure of the Pakistan border as a reason for the demonstration (28 Feb. 1994).
During the demonstration, "a mob sacked Pakistan's embassy in Kabul (Reuters 25 Feb. 1994) and "beat up a number of employees (Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran 23 Feb. 1994).
This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum.
References
Kyodo News International. 28 February 1994. "Pakistan Closes Embassy in Kabul." (NEXIS)
Reuters. 12 January 1994. "Pakistan Blocks Afghan Refugees, Kabul Bombed." (NEXIS)
_____. 25 February 1994. Jane Macartney. "Pakistan Says Group Trying to Sabotage Afghan Ties." (NEXIS)
Voice of the Islamic Republic of Iran [Tehran, in Persian]. 25 February 1994. "Kabulis Attack Pakistani Embassy Following Commando Raid in Islamabad." (BBC Summary 23 Feb. 1994/NEXIS)
Xinhua News Agency. "Pakistan Reopens Embassy in Kabul." (NEXIS)
