QUETTA, Sept 1: The Balochistan government has detained 19 suspect Taliban for 30 days for joint interrogation who had been arrested in border town of Chaman by the district administration of Qila Abdullah.

The provincial home and tribal affairs department on Monday issued the detention orders, official sources said.All the 19 suspects were handed over to the joint investigation team comprising senior officers of different law enforcement agencies, including secret agencies, for interrogation, the sources added.

“Yes, the suspect Afghan nationals have been handed over to the team concerned for interrogation,” a senior officer of the home department told this correspondent.

He said that it was not clear when they crossed into Pakistan from Afghanistan. Official sources also confirmed arrest of an Iraqi national Jasim Bin Hatim Baki at Pakistan-Afghanistan border and said that he was also handed over to the investigation team for questioning.

“A large quantity of pro-Taliban literature and arms and ammunition was also recovered from them,” the sources said, adding that some pamphlets inscribed with speeches and messages of Taliban leaders were distributed in the border area of Pakistan and Afghanistan, including Chaman and some parts of the Qila Abdullah district.

The law enforcement agencies arrested them from a religious madarssa situated on the Boghara road in Chaman. They were living in a rented house close to the madarssa, the sources said.

The Iraqi national, aged 52, entered into Afghanistan from Iran and after a long travel reached Spin Buldak. As he attempted to cross into Pakistan, the authorities here took him into custody.

He informed the authorities that he belonged to Basra and wanted to go to Pakistan to see his relatives living there. “He can speak only Arabic,” an officer posted at the Pakistan-Afghanistan border said.

In the meanwhile, four officers of the Afghan army who crossed into Pakistani area illegally were also handed over to the joint investigation team. They were also arrested in Chaman last week, the sources said.

DEPUTY SPEAKER: Balochistan Assembly Deputy Speaker Mohammad Aslam Bhootani will work as acting speaker in the absence of Jamal Shah Kakar, who has gone to Manila for attending a conference, a notification issued on Monday said.