Kabul – As restrictions on obtaining passports and visas increase in Afghanistan, a large number of citizens who seek to travel abroad turn to smugglers.
According to Al Arabiya news channel, numerous Afghan citizens planning to travel abroad are taking high-risk routes by paying large sums of money to smugglers after facing problems in obtaining passports and visas in the country.
Meanwhile, smugglers have increased prices due to border restrictions, especially on the border with Iran and Pakistan, as well as increasing demand.
“The smugglers on the way to Iran have doubled the prices than in the past,” one of the passengers told Hasht-e Subh. “If I could get a passport, I would be able to get to Iran legally, for less money and more easily.”
On the other hand, others say they have encountered Pakistani forces on the roads asking for bribes in exchange for their release, and some landlords have doubled or tripled rents.
Some travelers told Al Arabiya that after arriving in Pakistan, the country’s checkpoints took $300 from them, and tenants in Islamabad also tripled their rent.
Moreover, others say that the illegal entry of citizens and the use of coercion have become lucrative businesses for traffickers as well as for the Pakistani police.
Meanwhile, the economic crisis, drought, and recent political changes have increased immigration as well as restrictions on obtaining passports and visas.
