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Processing of passports suspended due to ‘technical problem’
Alam Gul Haqqani, head of the General Directorate of Passports, said late Monday in a video message that processing of passports at the office in Kabul has been suspended until further notice.
He attributed the decision to a technical problem – specifically with the biometric system.
Haqqani, head of the passport department, said the process would resume in Kabul once the problem was resolved.
He also said that the distribution of passports had started in provinces other than Kabul, and that this would continue.
The distribution process started last week in Balkh, Herat, Kandahar, Kunduz, Nangarhar, Khost and Paktia provinces.
Meanwhile, Interior Ministry spokesman Saeed Khosti said the ministry had arrested 60 people on charges of forging documents, including passports.
Khosti wrote on Twitter: “The Ministry of Interior (MoI) has arrested 60 fake passport makers, commissioners, and fake notice makers in the name of the Islamic Emirate. Among them are employees of the passport department.”
After the fall of the previous government, the distribution of passports was suspended for almost two months.
According to officials from the passport department, about 100,000 passports have been issued in the last 40 days.
Zalmay Khalilzad, the former US special representative for Afghanistan, has questioned Pakistan’s commitment to the welfare of the Afghan people, citing Islamabad’s policies over the past three decades.
Khalilzad said in a post on X that Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif advocated for the rights of Afghan women during his speech at the UN General Assembly on Friday.
Sharif said: “Fundamental rights of the Afghan people — especially women and girls — must be respected.”
Responding to the remarks, Khalilzad said Pakistan’s policies over the past 30 years raise questions about Sharif’s commitment to Afghan welfare.
He cited Pakistan’s support for militant groups against US forces and what he described as the poor treatment of Afghan refugees as examples.
Khalilzad also said Afghanistan and Pakistan need and should have much better relations, adding that “a reset is necessary.”
India’s Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri met with the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Afghanistan, Rabab Fatima, on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.
Indian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in a post on X that Misri underscored the need to keep addressing the humanitarian needs of the Afghan people as a priority.
Misri also appreciated the role of the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) and reaffirmed India’s continued cooperation with the United Nations on Afghanistan.
The meeting comes as Afghanistan continues to face humanitarian and economic challenges, with international agencies warning of significant needs among the Afghan population.
Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Mukhtar Tileuberdi has called for pragmatic and coordinated international engagement with Afghanistan, saying the country’s long-term stability is closely linked to the security and sustainable development of Central Asia.
Speaking during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly in New York on Friday, Tileuberdi said humanitarian assistance to Afghanistan remains essential but alone cannot break the cycle of poverty, displacement and dependency.
He said Kazakhstan supports a “pragmatic, coordinated and step-by-step” approach to international engagement with Afghanistan, with the United Nations playing a central role.
Tileuberdi also said Kazakhstan is working with the UN to operationalize the United Nations Regional Centre for the Sustainable Development Goals for Central Asia and Afghanistan in Almaty.
He said the success of the centre should be measured by the results and assistance it delivers to the region.
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