KHAR: The regional passport office in Bajaur Agency is yet to be made functional after its closure due to militancy 10 years ago.

Local people told this scribe on Thursday that the passport office was opened in 2005 in the civil colony in Khar, but it was closed down in 2007 due to militancy in the region.

Sources said that the authorities had regularly been paying a reasonable amount to the building owner for the office rent though the office had been closed since 2007.

They said most of the equipments of passport office had been damaged owing to absence of check from the authorities concerned.

They said that main staff of the passport office had left the agency soon after its closure while some of its workers, including watchmen and peons, were still getting their salaries.

An official of the local administration said on condition of anonymity that they had time and again requested the officials of the directorate general of immigration and passports to reopen the passport office, but to no avail.

He said that the directorate’s officials had also paid several visits to the agency during the last couple of years and pledged to open the passport office soon, but no practical steps had been taken so far.

Local people said that they had been facing numerous problems due to closure of the passport office. They said that they had to go to Timargara and Swat for getting passports.

Published in Dawn, March 24th, 2017