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Crowds Grow Outside Kabul Passport Office, Visa Black Market Booming, Gov’t Offices Still Closed
[ToloNews] Following frequent complaints over the closed Passport Department in Kabul, several people raised their voices on Thursday to reopen the department.A large number of people gathered at the door of the department, claiming that they must travel so their relatives can receive medical care. Ali Mohammad Mohammadi said his 32-year-old daughter has heart illness. He wants to take her abroad. Ali Mohammad said: "I have a patient to take outside the country but we do not have passports. The department is closed." Abdul Rashid said his wife needs to go outside the country for medical treatment. He said: "my wife is ill. I come here to get a passport for her." The number of people applying for passports has increased due to many reasons. Fleeing the country, traveling for medical treatment, escaping poverty and security threats are among the reasons. Human rights say that traveling is a civil right for everyone. Sayed Mohammad Same said: "It is an Islamic principle that a person can leave his/her country based on political, security and economic issues. Or they can return. The international laws also accept that this is a right." Meanwhile Abdul Khaleq Mohammadi, the deputy of the Passport Department, said the office will possibly start work next week. "The system and equipment is good. No problem exists. But the issue is that the passport department connects to some other organizations like the ministry of interior, Afghanistan's central bank, Afghanistan central civil registration authority and the ministry of commerce." Government offices and some private organizations have remained closed since the Taliban  ...Arabic for students... takeover. Black Market Visa Business Booming in Afghanistan [ToloNews] As most embassies in Kabul closed following the collapse of the former government, and the number of people demanding visas has increased, the black market business for visas is skyrocketing. A number of tourist travel agencies say currently only Pakistain’s visas can be obtained legally, but visas of a number of other countries are being sold on the black market at high prices. Shafi Samim, the director of a tourist travel agency in Kabul, told TOLOnews that people buy visas from the black market at double or triple the regular prices. According to Samim, people buy visas from Pakistain for up to $350, Tajikistan for $400, Uzbekistan for $1,350, and  ...the decaying remnant of the Ottoman Empire...for up to $5,000. Before the collapse of the previous government, however, a Pak visa was around $15, India's was $20, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan's cost $60 and Turkey's was $120. "The real price for a Tajikistan visa is $60, but on the black market it is around $350 to $400. The real price for Turkey's visa is $120, but on the black market it is up to $5,000. There are secrets that we do not know, only the firsthand dealers know how to obtain them," Samim said. A number of travel agency officials urged foreign countries to reopen their embassies in Kabul and in order to issue visas to Afghans. Parwiz Akbari, an employee of a travel agency in Kabul, said: "We urge them to reopen their embassies to dismantle the black markets." Residents speaking to TOLOnews also urged foreign countries to reopen their embassies. Mohmmad Haroon, a Kabul resident, said he has a Pakistain visa but he cannot cross at Torkham gate. According to Haroon, in order to cross the border into Pakistain in addition to a visa you now need a "gate pass," which some people near the Pak embassy are selling. "People have been waiting here for one and two months. They have visas but cannot pass at Torkham gate. They (sellers) have created a black market and sell the gate pass for $200 to $300," Haroon said. Govt Employees Face Closed Offices, Unpaid Wages [ToloNews] Residents told TOLOnews they are facing financial problems as government offices have mostly remained closed and their wages have not been paid. Geti, a teacher at a government school, returned to her job a week after the Taliban came to power, but she has not received her salary yet. She said: “I did not get a salary for two months. I face economic problems. The teachers in my school are the sole breadwinners for their families.” Residents voiced concerns over the closure of some offices across the country. For example, people are waiting to receive their National Identity Card. Enayatullah, a Kabul resident, said: “I came to get my Identity Card. The process has not resumed. I ask that the process begins very soon.” An official at the Afghanistan Central Civil Registration Authority, ACCRA, said that national identity cards have already been printed and will be distributed new week. Hazarat Mohammad said: “We started our work. We will distribute printed identity cards on Saturday.” Meanwhile, the caretaker cabinet’s Prime Minister Mullah Mohammad Hassan Akhund at a Wednesday meeting ordered all ministries and some other government offices to immediately begin providing services to the people. Saaed Khosti, a member of the Taliban cultural commission, said: “We will witness more improvements in government, and the salary issue will be addressed.” Streets Become Flea Markets as Afghans Sell Belongings [ToloNews] Since the Taliban came to power last month, people have been attempting to sell their wares alongside Kabul streets. Posted by: trailing wife 2021-09-18 |
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