ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s Interior Minister Sirajuddin Haqqani had Pakistani passports until recently.
Haqqani was issued a Pakistani passport for five years which he used to travel abroad, particularly to Qatar for negotiations with the United States for the signing of the Doha Agreement that resulted in the latter’s exit from Afghanistan.
Two passport officials involved in issuing Haqqani’s passport have been arrested, one of whom had retired from service by the time the action was started against him.
As for Haqqani’s case, the authorities got wind of the matter through a journalist who happened to be on the same flight to Doha as Haqqani.
At the immigration counter there, Haqqani showed his Pakistani passport as a proof of travel document. This left the journalist puzzled over how Haqqani had managed to get a Pakistani passport.
But it was only in August this year that the journalist brought the matter to the attention of passport authorities during a discussion. When checked, his information proved correct and an inquiry into the matter determined that the passport was issued from Peshawar during the PTI government’s tenure.
The issuing officer said he was approached by someone who introduced himself as a serving senior officer from an intelligence agency and who then asked for the production of travel documents for Haqqani.
When further pressed about the identity of the officer, the issuing officer said he was not sure about his real identity as the man had directed him on the phone.
Department action started against the issuing officer and the person involved in the printing of the passport. Both of them are behind bars now, it has been learnt.
