RASC News Agency: Local sources in Herat province report that the Taliban have begun issuing passports to residents after a two-and-a-half-year delay, operating with a slow administrative process. Sources in Herat told RASC News Agency on Monday, April 22, “Taliban officials are only now distributing passports after two and a half years, a decision that has raised suspicions among many residents.”
According to the source, the Taliban are aware that most Afghanistanis currently lack the means to travel to neighboring countries, and the issuance of passports now seems to be part of a broader deceptive strategy. The source adds that the Taliban’s distribution of passports gives the impression that citizens can register and receive them soon. Other sources in Herat province expressed bewilderment to RASC, questioning why the Taliban leadership has only now begun distributing passports to the public after nearly three years in power.
The source argues that there could be two reasons for the distribution: either the Taliban’s time in power is coming to an end, prompting them to distribute passports quickly, or the regional situation is such that no Afghanistani dares to travel to neighboring countries. The source added, “The Taliban are following the directives of their foreign advisors and are merely symbolic rulers in Afghanistan.”
According to the source, the Taliban’s role and position in Afghanistan are dictated by their foreign backers. Soroush, a resident of Herat province, told RASC News Agency that about two months ago, the price of a single passport on the black market in the province had soared to three thousand US dollars, a cost no individual or institution could afford.
He explained that the Taliban aim to profit by registering thousands of Afghanistani residents and benefiting from passport registration and biometric services. Soroush stated, “After the Taliban took power in Afghanistan, the rate of emigration increased by 85%. Had passports been issued at the time, few people would have remained in the country.” Soroush adds that a significant percentage of those who left Afghanistan in the past year have since returned from neighboring countries and even Europe, prompting the Taliban to strategically begin distributing passports.
Similarly, Jamila Wafa, a civil society activist in western Afghanistan, confirmed that the Taliban’s actions amount to a test for the people. Ms. Wafa suggests that passport distribution is unlikely to accelerate significantly in the next phase, potentially leaving the public dissatisfied. Currently, the process of obtaining a passport from the Taliban passport office takes over a year from registration to receipt. By contrast, under the previous Afghanistan administration, the process took only three days.
