Connect with us

Latest News

Kabul passport office head urges patience as anxious crowds keep gathering

Published

on

(Last Updated On: December 13, 2021)

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.”

Latest News

Three road construction projects launched in Kabul

Published

on

(Last Updated On: April 27, 2024)

Three road construction projects worth about one billion Afghanis started in capital Kabul on Saturday.

The projects were inaugurated by Deputy Prime Minister for Economic Affairs Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar.

The projects are: the second phase of Kotal Khairkhane road, the first part of the Shahid square to Qasaba, and the Airport road to Gumruk.

In the inauguration ceremony, Mullah Baradar said that Kabul municipality is working hard to beautify and regulate the city, and people should cooperate with the government in protecting public benefit projects.

He directed the officials of Kabul municipality to complete the mentioned projects on time and with good quality.

The second phase of Kotel Khairkhaneh road is 2.5 kilometers long and 60 meters wide. Thie road will cost 364 million Afghanis and will be completed in 20 months.

The Shahid square-Qasaba road is 1.8 kilometers long and 45 meters wide, which will be built at a cost of 175 million Afghanis in one year.

The Airport-Gumruk road is 2.7 km long and 60 meters wide, which will be completed at a cost of 407 million Afghanis in 20 months.

The projects are funded by Kabul Municipality.

Continue Reading

Latest News

Russian defense minister says main threat for SCO countries emanates from Afghanistan

Published

on

(Last Updated On: April 27, 2024)

Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoygu said on Friday that the main threat for the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) members emanates from Afghanistan where international terrorist groups find shelter due to unstable and indefinite political situation.

Speaking at a meeting of the SCO defense ministers in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana, Shoygu said Washington has stepped up efforts to restore its positions in Central and South Asia that were lost after the withdrawal of coalition troops from Afghanistan, Anadolu Agency reported.

The military chief called “unacceptable” the deployment of the American military infrastructure in the region, arguing that intentions should be regarded as “a direct threat to stability in the SCO space.”

According to him, the US is trying to impose a new security system in the Asia-Pacific region for dominance.

This comes as the Islamic Emirate has repeatedly emphasized that it does not allow anyone to pose threats to any other country from Afghanistan soil.

Recently, Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid, Acting Minister of National Defense Mohammad Yaqub Mujahid said that no destructive groups including Daesh have physical presence in Afghanistan,

Continue Reading

Latest News

IEA calls Mujahideen Victory Day ‘freedom day’

Published

on

(Last Updated On: April 27, 2024)

In a statement on the occasion of the 32nd anniversary of the victory of the Mujahideen against the then communist government, the Islamic Emirate said that it is a day of freedom of the Afghan nation.

The Islamic Emirate described the coup by People’s Democratic Party of Afghanistan on 27th April 1978 as a dark day in history, as a result of which the people of Afghanistan suffered severe human and financial losses.

The statement said that the Afghan nation suffered huge casualties in their 14-year struggle against the thoughts and actions of the communists, as 1.5 million people died and millions more faced various hardships.

“After 20 years of Jihad, our country was freed from another occupation and the Islamic system was established, so the Islamic Emirate will make its utmost efforts so that the fruits of decades of sacrifice and struggle of this nation are not wasted,” the statement said.

“It was the wish of the martyrs to fully implement the Islamic system in the country, and therefore, the Islamic Emirate is trying to facilitate development and prosperity under the shadow of the Islamic system in order to realize the goals of the Afghan people’s jihads,” it added.

Continue Reading

Trending

Copyright © 2022 Ariana News. All rights reserved!