Residents in Kabul call out Taliban, demands to resume issuing of passports
Nov 10, 2022
Kabul [Afghanistan], November 10 : Residents of Kabul called on the Taliban to resume issuing passports as the General Department of Passports in Afghanistan halted the distribution temporarily one month ago, reported TOLO news.
"The frequent closing of the passport department, its reopening and closing many times--which we don't know the reason for--will pave the way for fraud," said a passport applicant, Zabiullah highlighting the plight of Afghans.
"We call on the Islamic Emirate officials to resume passport distribution through transparent ways," said Massihullah, another passport applicant.
Since the Taliban took control of Afghanistan in August last year, the distribution of passports has been halted more than five times, reported TOLO news.
However, refuting the claims regarding the halt on the distribution of passports, a spokesman for the General Department of Passports, Noorullah Patman said that the process of passport distribution has been halted due to technical reasons.
"The process of passport distribution has been halted based on the order of the general head of the passport department due to technical problems, and the technical teams are working on it," said Noorullah, TOLO news reported.
Since the Taliban seized power in Kabul last year, the human rights situation has been exacerbated by a nationwide economic, financial and humanitarian crisis of unprecedented scale.
The Taliban dismantled the system to respond to gender-based violence, created new barriers to women accessing health care, blocked women's aid workers from doing their jobs, and attacked women's rights protesters.
With the US troops' withdrawal from the country, large-scale violence has been unleashed creating political uncertainty in different parts of the country.
At least 59 per cent of the population is now in need of humanitarian assistance - an increase of 6 million people compared with the beginning of 2021, according to UNAMA.
