RASC News Agency: Reports from western Afghanistan suggest that due to the sluggish passport distribution process within the country, both single individuals and families are resorting to entering Iran through smuggling routes to obtain passports. A credible source in Herat province, speaking on condition of anonymity, informed RASC News Agency on Wednesday, Feb 21, that during the initial presence of the Taliban in Afghanistan, the distribution of passports by the group’s top officials was suspended. Subsequently, passport distribution resumed, and some passports were reportedly sold in the black market by Taliban members for amounts reaching up to 200,000 Kabuli Rupees.
The source further elaborates that the passport distribution process conducted by the Taliban’s passport administration in Herat province is currently slow-paced, resulting in widespread dissatisfaction among the populace. According to the source, many individuals and families embark on nighttime journeys through smuggling routes to Iran to obtain passports from the consulate in Mashhad or other Taliban consulates in Iran.
The source emphasizes the critical importance of a passport as a legal document in the Afghanistan context. It is worth noting that Taliban consulates in Iran, particularly the Mashhad consulate, expedite passport registration and distribution processes for applicants. Another source in western Afghanistan confirms that some families have received requests from European countries but, due to the lack of passports, have been unable to travel to their respective destinations. The source adds that many families have resorted to moving through smuggling routes and illegal pathways day and night to reach European countries via Iran after securing passports.
The source asserts that currently, numerous Afghanistani families are in Iran to obtain their passports. Osman Babayi, a knowledgeable official in Herat province, informed RASC News Agency that the Taliban, in an effort to prevent Afghanistani citizens from leaving the country, have slowed down and, at times, halted the passport distribution process. Babayi notes that during the initial turmoil in Afghanistan, a significant portion of the population emigrated to neighboring and European countries. According to him, the Taliban group rarely initiates passport distribution in Afghanistan provinces, preferring to reserve it for select individuals.
Consequently, a former employee of the Republic’s passport administration in western Afghanistan, speaking anonymously, informed RASC News Agency that manipulation in passport distribution is possible under the leadership of the passport administration. He added that the Taliban, with their advanced facilities in passport management in Herat province, can distribute passports to anyone, irrespective of their desires.
The Taliban in Herat province has not issued a statement on this matter. It is noteworthy that despite the restrictions imposed by neighboring countries, particularly Iran, many single individuals and families still resort to smuggling routes from Nimruz province to the Pakistan border, eventually entering Iranian territory.
