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Clinton visit

Govt orders closure of all Afghan offices

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has launched a low profile 'soft crackdown' on Afghan groups on its territory ahead of US President Bill Clinton's trip to the country later this month.

Officials confirmed here on Thursday that the government is wary of groups that openly profess sympathies for Arab billionaire dissident Osama bin Laden, who is hiding at an undisclosed location in neighbouring Afghanistan.

So strong is the Osama factor in the Clinton trip that Chief Executive General Pervez Musharraf planned to undertake a trip to Afghanistan ahead of the US president's arrival to persuade the Taliban to keep Osama and his followers under a strict tab.

Musharraf's trip, however, planned for the first week of March, has been postponed.

Instead, his government has decided to close down the offices of all Afghan groups and organisations in Pakistan for a month in view of Clinton's impending visit.

The Ministry of Interior has issued a letter to all the provincial governments to sever the communication networks that are being used by the Afghan organisations.

The ministry has compiled lists of all Afghan organisations throughout Pakistan, especially in NWFP and Balochistan provinces.-Internews