KABUL, AFGHANISTAN – The Taliban cabinet has instructed the National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) to issue identification cards to Afghan citizens in districts bordering the Durand Line, the disputed boundary between Afghanistan and Pakistan.
An official letter, obtained by KabulNow, details the Taliban administration’s decision, directing the NSIA to provide electronic identity cards, or E-Tazkira, to citizens in these areas, including Paktika province.
The Durand Line, drawn in 1893 under Afghan King Abdul Rahman Khan, remains a source of tension. The Taliban, like previous Afghan governments, refuses to acknowledge it as a legitimate border, labeling it a “fictitious boundary.”
The Durand Line has long fueled friction between Afghanistan and Pakistan, with some analysts citing it as a key factor behind Pakistan’s involvement in Afghanistan’s internal affairs. Clashes between Taliban forces and Pakistani border guards have escalated in recent months, leading to casualties and sporadic border closures.
In a recent move, the Taliban’s reclusive supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada formed a committee to address the needs of communities near the Durand Line. The committee aims to provide essential services such as education, healthcare, telecommunications, infrastructure, and access to clean drinking water.
As of August 2023, the NSIA had issued E-Tazkira to approximately 10.7 million Afghans since the process began. However, under Taliban rule, obtaining legal documents like ID cards and passports has become a major challenge, with reports of citizens enduring long waits at Taliban-controlled offices, where document distribution has turned into a lucrative business for the group.
‘The Taliban takeover led to a mass exodus, with over 1.6 million Afghans fleeing the country since August 2021. According to the UN, 8.2 million Afghan refugees and asylum seekers were residing abroad as of June 2023, predominantly in neighboring Pakistan and Iran, as well as Central Asian countries.
