Residents of Kabul expressed concerns over the Interior Ministry’s decision to halt the nationwide distribution of passports to applicants. 

The citizens, many of whom are seeking medical treatment abroad, said that they are struggling with severe challenges due to a lack of passports.  

Javid, one of the applicants, who came to the General Department of Passports, told TOLOnews that he has been waiting for a passport for the past four months.  

“My mother has gone through four surgeries and she has not yet fully recovered. We want to take her to India,” he said.   

The residents of Kabul called on the Passport Department to resume the issuance of passports for the applicants. 

“It has been many months since I registered with the passport department, but I haven’t received the passport yet,” said Massihullah, a resident of Kabul. 

“We call on the Passport Department to activate its operation,” said Sayed Ilhab, a resident of Kabul.  

“The people have serious patients who need to be treated,” said Abdul Farid, a resident of Kabul. 

The Ministry of Interior’s Department, Abdul Nafay Takor, said that the passport department has stopped operations due to technical problems.  

“The distribution process of the passports has been halted due to technical problems and whenever these problems are solved, the process of distribution will begin,” said Abdul Nafay Takor, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior (MoI). 

Around two weeks ago, the General Department of Passport announced that it had stopped operations for an undetermined period of time.