RASC News Agency: Some residents of Herat province in western Afghanistan assert that the passport distribution process in this province is proceeding slowly, causing severe concern among the populace. Mohammad Rafiq, a resident of Herat province, told RASC News Agency on Wednesday, April 18th, “The inhabitants of this province wait day and night outside the Taliban passport office to register themselves, but despite all the difficulties, they have not been able to obtain their passports yet.”
Rafiq explains that one of the reasons causing such long waits for Herat province residents to obtain passports is the lack of a biometric system deprived by the Taliban passport management. According to him, if Taliban authorities accept considerable fees for passport registration, they should undertake a fundamental program to alleviate public concerns.
Similarly, Elias Radmehr, another resident of Herat province, informed RASC News Agency that more than a thousand individuals queue up nightly at the Taliban passport office to register for passport appointments to obtain their passports. He added that this process is immensely tiresome and distressing for many residents of Herat province, and Taliban authorities in the passport office should not remain indifferent to this matter. He states, “Many people have been trying to register themselves and their families for more than a year, but they have not yet received their passports.”
However, sources in western Afghanistan confirm that if passport distribution proceeds for the people, citizens of Herat province and other provinces of Afghanistan will not remain behind. A source speaking on condition of anonymity to RASC News Agency stated that Taliban’s actions have alienated the Afghan people, leaving no escape route.
Meanwhile, Musa Akbari, a well-informed individual in western Afghanistan, told RASC News Agency that the Taliban group must answer why, with the funds obtained from passport revenues, they have not yet provided passports to the people. He added that questions arise as to why the Taliban group has indulged in the happiness and joy of the people with the revenue money and has abandoned the pain and suffering of the citizens of Afghanistan to oblivion. Akbari also asserts that many people are dismayed by the Taliban group’s performance and are powerless against its members.
It is said that some families in Herat province have paid substantial sums to some employees of the Taliban passport management, but there is still no news of either the money or the passports. It is worth mentioning that the Taliban passport management in Herat province has stated that it has processed over 100,000 passport applications, yet complaints from the public about the sluggishness of this process persist.
