Ashrafuddin Pirzada
TORKHAM BORDER: Federal Investigation Agency(FIA) officials raided the lone Pak-Afghan Dosti hospital at the Torkham border and arrested two human smugglers on the spot, officials said on Thursday.
Assistant director FIA Yasar Arafat told Fata Voice News Agency that, in an intelligence-based operation, a raid was conducted at Dosti Hospital and they arrested doctor Muhammad Arif Afridi and male nurse Lance Naik Shafiq on the spot.
He said both the health staff were working at the Torkham border Dosti Hospital. He said they also recovered money and fake medical documents made for passengers to cross the Torkham border from their possessions.
The officials said medical documents were being issued to Afghan patients to allow them to enter Pakistan for taking medical treatment in Pakistani hospitals. He said the arrested persons have admitted that they had issued fake medical documents to passengers and taken money from them. The FIA official said a passenger had paid Rs,150,000 while the other Afghan had paid 40000 Afghan currency to the arrested persons for issuing them fake health documents.
The officials said that, as a goodwill gesture, they allow genuine patients to visit Pakistan for medical treatment and stay for a few days. He said a group of human smugglers was busy violating the law. The official said a First Information Report(FIR)was registered against the arrested persons, and further investigation started. He said that after the militant attacks in Pakistan, they kept a close watch on the passengers’ movement to Pakistan. It may be added that an organized gang of human smugglers was operating at the Torkham border, taking passengers illegally across the border, which had become a hen laying golden eggs for human smugglers
