Closure of passport office in Kabul angers people

Kabul: The closure of the passport department in the capital city Kabul has once again sparked reactions from the people as they desperately seek the resumption of the process as quickly as possible, local media reported.

The passport department in Kabul was closed when it was attacked in December last year. However, officials said that passport departments are operational in other provinces, Tolo News reported. But passport applicants in Kabul said they are desperately waiting for the department to resume its activities.

According to the Afghan media, the department has halted its activities two times in the last few months following the fall of the Ashraf Ghani government. Meanwhile, the online registration system is not functioning anymore, passport applicants said, demanding a quick solution to the problem.

"I have visited the passport department several times over the last month, but no one addresses our problems," Tolo News quoted Sumia, a Kabul resident as saying.

"When I visit the department, I am told that office hours have not started yet and that they don't want to register me in the biometric system. But I need to take care of my patient," said Ghulam Hussain Rasuli, a Kabul resident who added that one of his family members is ill and needs to be taken abroad for treatment.

On Saturday, Alam Gul Haqqani, head of the passport department, announced that the online application for passports is not functioning due to technical issues. However, he vowed to fix the issue.

"There are some technical issues in the IT department. We are working to fix it," Tolo News quoted Haqqani as saying. He vowed to resume the issuance of passports soon after the issue is fixed.

Meanwhile, other officials from the passport department, said the office is issuing passports to patients and to those who have urgent needs to travel.