Certainly. The recent revelation about Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Interior Minister in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan, possessing a Pakistani passport has raised significant concerns and shed light on a broader issue involving the issuance of passports to Afghan nationals. According to reports, Haqqani was among approximately 40,000 Afghan individuals who had been issued Pakistani passports, exposing what appears to be a major irregularity in the passport issuance process.
The passports were reportedly issued from various passport offices in Balochistan, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in Pakistan. The issuance of passports to Afghan nationals, especially one belonging to a designated global terrorist like Haqqani, has triggered alarm and calls for a thorough investigation into the circumstances surrounding this irregularity.
Sirajuddin Haqqani, known as a senior leader of the Haqqani Network and designated a global terrorist by the FBI, held a Pakistani passport for five years. He utilized this passport for international travel, including his journey to Qatar for crucial negotiations with the United States that eventually led to the signing of the Doha Agreement. The Doha Agreement, in turn, played a pivotal role in the withdrawal of American forces from Afghanistan after a two-decade-long presence.
The discovery of Haqqani's Pakistani passport came to light when a journalist, traveling with him on a flight to Doha, observed him presenting the passport at an immigration counter. Subsequent investigations traced the issuance of the passport back to Peshawar in Pakistan during the tenure of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
Two officials involved in the issuance of Haqqani's passport have been arrested, highlighting the seriousness of the matter. The irregularities in passport issuance have prompted the blocking of 30,000 to 40,000 Pakistani passports issued to Afghan nationals. Passport offices in different cities, including Thatta and Karachi in Sindh, as well as those in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have been implicated in these irregularities.
This revelation coincides with intelligence from Saudi Arabian authorities, revealing the misuse of Pakistani passports by Afghan citizens seeking employment in Saudi Arabia. Over 12,000 such cases were identified, leading to the cancellation of passports and deportation of individuals found using forged documents back to Afghanistan. The Pakistani government, prompted by Saudi intelligence, initiated a comprehensive investigation, uncovering the widespread issue of invalid Afghan passports. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is taking action against officials involved in the issuance and production of these passports.
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