Pakistan offering 21 to 30 days transit visa to foreigners leaving Afghanistan Rashid.

ISLAMABAD -- Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed Monday rejected the allegation of JUI-F chief and president Pakistan Democratic Movement Maulana Fazlur Rehman that the government had got vacated hotels and buildings to give a long stay to a large number of those US nationals in Pakistan who were being evacuated from Afghanistan.

He also stressed that Pakistan so far has neither given the status of refugee to a single Afghan national nor any refugee has entered the country since Taliban seized power in Kabul in the middle of August.

'I want to say Maulana Fazlur Rehman that more responsibilities lie on you but you are showing irresponsibility and you have blamed (the government) that some places and hotels have been evacuated for Americans,' the interior minister said while addressing a press conference here while terming the allegation wrong.

He explained that the government was expecting that there can be huge influx of evacuations from Afghanistan after Thursday's Kabul blast that killed many people including 13 US marines. 'We are a responsible country and an atomic force,' he said adding that the government had done an exercise for a huge evacuation but that couldn't happen and now they had only arrangement of giving stay to 3000 foreigners in Islamabad.

Some 125 NATO soldiers have reached PAF Noor Khan Airbase, syas Interior Minister

Anyone coming from Afghanistan who is either American or other citizen, if he has to transit from Pakistan, we welcome him and we are giving 21 to 30 days transit visa on temporary basis, Sheikh Rashid said. He confirmed that some 125 NATO soldiers have reached PAF Noor Khan Airbase.

Giving the details, the interior minister said that 1627 passengers came to Pakistan, from Afghanistan, by air while as many as 2192 individuals have entered Pakistan from Torkham border crossing. He said that around 700 passengers were staying at country's airports and have not sought Pakistan's visa. He said that some Afghan nationals used to come to Pakistan through Chaman border crossing and go back on daily basis. Responding a question, he said that all Pakistanis have been evacuated from Afghanistan except between 30 to 40 people who do...