Local sources in Faryab say that the Taliban’s move to distribute identity cards to many “Kuchi” individuals in Andkhoy district has been carried out without following legal procedures, and residents have protested against this action.
Sources told the Hasht-e Subh Daily on Thursday, April 23, that Abdul Ahad Fazli, the Taliban governor in Faryab, has pressured officials responsible for issuing identity cards in the four districts of Andkhoy to provide identity documents to certain Kuchi individuals.
According to the sources, these individuals have been brought to Andkhoy by the Taliban, and local Taliban authorities are attempting to issue them identity cards as “native residents” of Andkhoy.
The sources added that the families involved in this process are not registered in the official population registry system of Qaramqol district, and efforts to issue identity cards for them are considered “contrary to legal procedures.”
Sources say that on the order of the Taliban governor in Faryab, the head of the population registration office in Qaramqol district was summoned to Maimana city and subsequently detained by fighters of the group.
It is reported that this action followed his refusal to distribute identity cards “outside the legal process.”
Sources also state that some Kuchi groups who have settled in the area in recent years are seeking new identity cards, an issue that residents describe as “illegal.”
The sources add that public protests against the Qaramqol district administration are ongoing, with demonstrators calling for a halt to the process and a transparent investigation by Taliban institutions.
According to the sources, residents of Andkhoy believe that the Taliban, by issuing identity cards to “non-native” individuals, are attempting to alter the demographic composition of Andkhoy.
