KABUL: The Afghan Interior Ministry has announced the resumption of Passport Department operations.
According to Afghan media, a spokesman for the Interior Ministry announced the resumption of operations on Tuesday, saying that 25,000 passports were ready to be issued to citizens in the first phase.
Aleem Gul Haqqani, acting head of the passport department, said in a press conference that passport services have been restored in the provinces across the country. Will be released soon.
He said that the female staff of Passport Department has also been asked to return to their duties and female staff would be recruited to look after the affairs of women’s passports.
According to Afghan media, some female staff have returned to their duties after the restoration of passport services.
Interior Ministry officials say more than 170,000 applications for passports have been submitted as operations have been suspended for about two months.
It should be noted that the Interior Ministry had suspended passport operations in Afghanistan on August 15 after the Taliban took control of Kabul.
Earlier, Taliban spokesman and Deputy Information Minister Zabihullah Mujahid had said that new passports and identity cards would be issued in the future with the word “Islamic Emirate” written on them.