Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch on Thursday cautiously addressed media reports alleging that Sirajuddin Haqqani, Afghan Taliban’s Interior Minister and a senior leader of the Haqqani Network, in the past used a Pakistani passport for international travel.
Responding to queries at the weekly media briefing, Ms Baloch said: “I have just seen the report. I do not have the facts to respond to your question. Maybe I can comment on other occasions when I have more information.”
The revelation about Haqqani’s use of a Pakistani passport has raised serious questions about the nature of the relationship between the Taliban-led Afghan government and Pakistan.
Haqqani, known for his role in the Haqqani Network, reportedly used this passport for his travels, particularly to Qatar for crucial negotiations with the United States. These talks were instrumental in signing the Doha.
The scandal extends beyond Haqqani, with reports indicating that approximately 30,000 to 40,000 Pakistani passports were issued to Afghan nationals. These passports were distributed from various cities in the Pakistani provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Sindh.
In response to this discovery, the Pakistani government has reportedly arrested two officials allegedly involved in issuing the passport to Haqqani.
The government, through the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), has also blocked and cancelled the passports issued to Afghan nationals, including Haqqani.
