KABUL - A senior Afghan local official has revealed that half of the population of Paktika’s Barmal district, in the east of Afghanistan, have been issued Pakistani identity cards while the residents are “easily” allowed to travel to other side of the border.
Barmal District Governor Rahmatullah said that getting a Pakistani identity card is an easy task for the residents.
With an estimated 88,000 population, Barmal lies along the Durand line, bordering with North Waziristan, one of Pakistan’s Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The main town is Angur Ada.
The population of Barmal is Pashtun, predominantly from the Kharoti and Wazir tribes. Barmal lies in an area of particularly rugged terrain.
According to the district governor, the identity cards mention Barmal as main residence of the cards holders.
Rahmatullah said the issue is “concerning” and that it requires a “thorough investigation”.
“It is almost 50 percent,” said the district governor as he pointed out to the percentage of the population who hold Pakistani identity cards. “So far, we have not played a specific role to prevent this but everyone is aware about this matter,” he added.