Snail-paced passport issuance process irks Wardak residents

MAIDAN SHAHR (Pajhwok): Officials in central Maidan Wardak province on Tuesday said the final phase of the passport issuing process had been delayed for weeks by the central office in Kabul.

Director of Passport Department Col. Ahmad Khan Safi said they were on the verge of completing the preliminary process of issuing at least 40 passports within two days.

But the final process, which needed to be completed by the central government, was delayed for weeks, he added. Around 1,000 passports of Maidan Wardak people have been sent to the central office three weeks ago.

Safi complained that some powerful individuals, who were trying to get relatives and friends their passports out of turn, had also caused problems to the department.

The governor’s spokesman, Attaullah Khogyani, said the problem had been with the central government. A meeting was held at the governor’s house on the issue after complaints from residents.

Governor Hayatullah Hayat has directed the director to inform passport seekers about the problems to prevent misunderstandings between local officials and people.

Provincial Council Chairman Ahmad Jafari accused the director of corruption, saying they received several complaints from people that their passports were not being issued in time.

Resident Ahmadullah alleged each of the applicants was forced to pay 200 to 300 afghanis in bribes, but their passports were yet to be released. However, Safi rejected the claim.

Kabul Passport Department Director Col. Sayed Omar Saboor had previously said the number of staffers had increased.

In the past, around 400 people were issued passports daily, but the number has now gone up to around 5,000, he had said.

mds