PESHAWAR: The government on Monday launched a crackdown on Afghan refugees living in the restive Bajaur Agency and rounded up 12 Afghan nationals after a three-day deadline given to them to leave the region expired on Sunday evening.

Government officials said the crackdown on the Afghan refugees was launched after their involvement in militancy and attacks on Pakistani security forces was proved. Official sources said security had been beefed up on the roadside checkpoints and 12 Afghan refugees were detained on various posts in Khar, the headquarters of Bajaur.

All of them reportedly did not have Pakistani identity cards and were sent behind bars from where they would be deported to Afghanistan. The officials said 15 shops owned by refugees were also sealed in the main town of Khar. In Khar and another major town Inayat Killay, officials said Afghan refugees were running maximum of the businesses and had acquired properties.

According to officials, these refugees have been living in Bajaur illegally as many of them were once sent back to their country but returned to Bajaur. “The Bajauris are naturally peace-loving people and have never been involved in any kind of violence. They actually developed bad habits from the non-local people, including Afghans, Arabs, Uzbeks and Chechens,” said a senior government official based in Khar.

He said the crackdown on the Afghan refugees would continue till they were kicked out of Bajaur. Referring to an Afghan Taliban commander, Qari Ziaur Rahman, fighting against Pakistani security forces in Charmang, Tang Khatta and Loisam areas, a military official said their soldiers had suffered heavy losses because of Qari Zia and his Afghan fighters.

According to officials, around 30 to 35 thousand Afghan refugees are currently living in Bajaur, majority of them in Mamond subdivision, the area controlled by Maulana Faqir Mohammad-led Taliban.

They said majority of these refugees came from Afghanistan’s Kunar province during the Russian invasion and settled in the border villages. They were earlier accommodated in 25 refugee camps, which were demolished two years back after the government asked the refugees to leave for their country.

Meanwhile, tribal Lashkar continued action against the militants in their stronghold Mamond subdivision where they burnt a house of prominent militant commander, Jan Wali alias Sheena in Seway.

The Lashkar also demolished three other houses owned by the Taliban militants in same village. However, the Lashkar was met with tough resistance when it appeared to demolish the house of Maulvi Omar, spokesman for Baitullah Mahsud-led defunct Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistani (TTP), in Badano village. The Lashkar people have to return after armed militants guarding the small mud-built house at the lap of a mountain started firing on them.

Maulvi Omar has already vacated the house and shifted his family to an unknown location. Omar, who until recently was regularly updating media people about their version, has stopped contacts with reporters and in a recent telephonic conversation admitted that situations were getting out of their control now.