Key Points
- A Taliban decree of July 30, blocking people with invalid passports, is being enforced.
- The decision applies to passports and other documents issued by embassies in Australia and 13 other countries.
- Afghan community leaders are calling on staff at the Afghan embassy in Canberra to resolve the ‘problem’.
Ahmad* and his family were forced to endure a “frustrating” layover at Abu Dhabi airport and pay thousands of dollars in extra fees after his passport was refused for a flight to Afghanistan in early August.
Unlike his wife and children, who travelled on their Australian passports, Ahmad carried his Afghan passport, which had been renewed at the Afghan Embassy in Canberra on 22 July.
He was stopped at the gate, which appeared to be the enforcement of a not to recognize documents issued by Afghanistan’s diplomatic missions, which were set up by the former Western-backed government.
The Taliban said they would not accept passports, visas and other documents issued by diplomats with ties to the previous government.
Ahmad said he was not aware that his passport would be invalidated because it was renewed before July 30.
“On July 22, I renewed my passport at the Afghan embassy, [paid $350] in Canberra and on August 8 I had a flight from Melbourne to Afghanistan, where I had a connecting flight in Abu Dhabi. When I got to Abu Dhabi, I was not allowed to fly from there to Kabul,” he told SBS Pashto and SBS Dari.
“[Afghan airline] Kam Air said: ‘You are not allowed to fly’ [to Afghanistan]’However, I was not allowed to do so because I had an Afghan passport, while my wife and children had Australian passports.’
Although Ahmad’s family was allowed to board, they missed their flight due to problems with his passport.
Ahmad left his family and traveled to Pakistan, hoping to cross the border into neighboring Afghanistan. This option was available to people who had renewed their passports before the Taliban decree was announced.
“I stayed at Abu Dhabi airport for about 10 hours with my wife and children.
“After that I decided to send my family to Kabul on the next flight and I went to Pakistan.”
That same evening he was issued a visa to enter Pakistan. The fee was $1,200, compared to the usual fee for Afghan passport holders of $12.
Ahmad eventually reached Afghanistan, but he described the event as “hurtful”.
Taliban refuses some travel documents
The Afghan embassy in Canberra continues to provide consular services to Afghan nationals in Australia, despite having no formal relations with the Taliban.
The July 30 decision affects the services provided by the embassy, including the issuance of passports, passport renewal stickers, visas and approvals.
Consular missions in 13 countries were also affected, including those in the United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Italy, Greece and Canada.
The Taliban said it had asked foreign missions to “cooperate with Kabul to at least address the issues of Afghans in the area of consular services”, adding that the missions continued to provide their services “without coordination”.
SBS Pashto understands that the implementation of the decree was the result of a breakdown in communication between diplomats at the embassy in Canberra, who were appointed by the previous Afghan government, and the Taliban government.
In the same way, the and therefore the ambassador, the head of the consular services and the Taliban diplomats were not accepted.
Although the Australian government does not recognise the Taliban, Foreign Minister Penny Wong issued a new
The Taliban say they will not recognise consular documents issued by Afghan embassies in Canberra and 13 other cities. Credit: SBS Pashto / Mujeeb Muneeb
Ahmad advised other travellers to check the validity of their travel documents before leaving Australia.
“If you are from one of these 13 countries [where the diplomatic missions have no contact with the Taliban]“Please feel free to call for more information,” he said.
“This will prevent problems that cost you money and time and are very frustrating.”
Ismael Shah Niazi is an Afghan travel agent based in Melbourne who has been serving the community since 2005.
He explained that the Taliban had ordered airlines flying to Afghanistan to follow their directives and “strictly enforce the new policy.”
He advised travellers who had applied for or renewed their passports at the Afghan embassy in Canberra following the Taliban decree not to travel until a resolution is found.
“Recently, several passengers were stuck at Dubai airport because their passports had been renewed by the Afghan embassy in Canberra,” he said.
“Based on our recent experiences, we strongly advise against traveling if you do not comply with the new policy, as you risk being stranded in transit. We have been in contact with the Afghan embassies in Tokyo and Kuala Lumpur, and they have instructed us to send passports to them for renewal.
“Unfortunately, it is a costly affair, but these Afghan passport holders have no other choice.”
Ismael Shah Niazi is an Afghan travel agent based in Melbourne. Credit: Delivered
A Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) spokesperson said it was aware of reports that travel documents for Afghan Australians were being rejected.
“The ministry continues to advise against travelling to Afghanistan due to the extremely dangerous security situation and the very high threat of terrorism and kidnapping,” the spokesperson said.
“Our travel advice () states that our ability to provide consular and passport assistance is very limited and that we cannot provide it personally. We also cannot facilitate the delivery of passports in Afghanistan.”
‘Oppressive rule’ extended, says top embassy body
In a statement, a spokesperson for the Coordination Council of Diplomatic and Consular Missions of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (speaking on behalf of the embassy in Canberra) told SBS Pashto that the Taliban’s actions against the consulates in Europe, Canada and Australia were “unwarranted”.
Combined with other “harsh and draconian” human rights measures, this move is clear evidence of the Taliban’s aim to “further consolidate their unilateral and oppressive rule over Afghan society,” the statement said.
“In this context, we express our deepest gratitude to the host countries that have supported the Afghan diplomatic and consular missions over the past three years.
“However, we stress once again that any change in the status quo of these missions could have very negative consequences, including the termination of vital consular services for the large Afghan diaspora living in Europe and beyond.”
‘Troubleshooting’
According to Abdul Khaliq Arsala, who was head of the consular unit at the embassy in Canberra from 2010 to 2014, it is up to the embassy to take action to solve the “problems” of the Afghan community.
“It is clear to everyone that the solution to this problem is for the embassy to [Taliban] center regarding consular services. One thing we must not forget is that the political section and the consular section are two different branches [at an embassy]”, he said.
“It is true that our embassy colleagues in Canberra do not share any political common ground with the centre and do not want to establish any relationship. However, from a consular perspective, if you look at the history of diplomatic and consular rights, you will see that even countries in conflict and war have kept their consular units active.”
Abdul Khaliq Arsala was the Head of the Consular Unit at the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan in Canberra. Credit: Delivered
Faradoun Jafari is Director of Communications at the Federation of Hazara Councils of Australia.
As an Afghan citizen, he condemned the Taliban decree, which caused problems for the Afghan community.
“We spoke to our fellow Australians and they expressed concerns, particularly about consular services,” he said.
“The current Taliban government does not abide by international or diplomatic laws, so it is imperative that the Afghan ambassador comes to Canberra [to the community] and provide information about this [issue] to his countrymen.
“As some of our compatriots who travelled to Dubai faced problems while travelling to Afghanistan, this has unfortunately become a common problem. I hope it will be resolved as soon as possible.”
*Name changed for security reasons.
This story was produced in collaboration with SBS Dari.
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