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Kabul passport office head urges patience as anxious crowds keep gathering
The head of the Kabul Passport Office has asked for patience from thousands of Afghans waiting for documents as large crowds continue to gather outside, a month after the office suspended operations.
As winter closes in and the economic crisis deepens in the wake of the abrupt withdrawal of foreign aid after the Islamic Emirate of Aghanistan (IEA) takeover in August, the crowds around the biggest passport issuing centre in the country underline the desperate desire of large numbers of citizens to leave.
"We have done our best to reopen the office but we are still facing some equipment shortages," passport office head Alam Gul Haqqani told Reuters in an interview on Sunday.
Last month the office was forced to close after equipment used for issuing biometric documents broke down under the pressure of processing thousands of applications a day but demand has built steadily.
Even though the office has been closed for weeks, hundreds of people still gather outside the fortified compound clutching plastic document files.
"I am sure the office will restart and we will fulfill all applications," Haqqani told Reuters. "I assure the nation that no one will leave our office with any reason to be upset."
He appealed to people to stay away until the office is operational again.
"I am really sorry about this, I am upset because people are facing hardship. They're wasting their money and standing here uselessly," Haqqani said.
"The office is closed, our systems are not operational."
A number of provincial passport offices are still open and officials in Kabul are processing around 2,000-3,000 passports from these offices each day, he said, but it was still unclear when the Kabul office would reopen.
As well as the equipment issues, Haqqani said officials were working on stamping out corruption and rooting out the so-called 'Commissionkar' - commission agents who promise to ensure swift treatment of applications for a fee, Reuters reported.
"We have arrested bribe takers, from inside and outside the office," he said. "We will use any possible way to clean the country of bribe takers everywhere."
Acting Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi on Thursday met with Iranian Deputy Justice Minister Askar Jalalian in Kabul, where they discussed refugees, prisoners, economic and political cooperation.
Muttaqi, while appreciating Iran’s hosting of Afghan refugees for four decades, called on Tehran to treat refugees well and be patient towards them, Afghan foreign ministry said in a statement.
He also said that the Islamic Emirate is committed to cooperate with Iran in relation to the repatriation of Afghan prisoners, asking the Iranian Deputy Minister of Justice to cooperate fully in this regard.
According to the statement, Iran's deputy justice minister said Tehran was following recent developments in Afghanistan and was pleased with the stability.
He added that the Islamic Republic of Iran will continue its cooperation and, based on the agreements reached, will transfer Afghan prisoners in the near future.
Russia and Pakistan urged "enhanced" coordination among regional countries Thursday for a "peaceful and prosperous" Afghanistan, according to a statement from the Pakistani Foreign Ministry.
The call was made during a meeting between Russian Special Envoy to Afghanistan Zamir Kabulov and Pakistani Foreign Secretary Amna Baloch in Islamabad where the two sides exchanged views on relations with Afghanistan.
Kabulov arrived in Islamabad for a visit earlier in the day.
A Qatari aircraft carrying medical aid and four ambulances touched down on Thursday at Kabul Airport.
The aid, provided by Qatar Fund for Development, was received by Deputy Minister of Public Health Bakht-ur-Rahman Sharafat and Qatar's Acting Chargé d'Affaires to Afghanistan Mirdef bin Ali Al Qashouti, Qatar's foreign ministry said in a statement.
"This aid comes within the framework of the State of Qatar's efforts and its firm commitment to providing support and standing by the brotherly Afghan people, and providing them with their urgent and necessary needs," the statement said.
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