Pakistani visa applicants in Afghanistan’s southern Kandahar province — including patients seeking medical treatment — are repeatedly being denied despite presenting complete and valid medical documents, local sources say.
They told Amu TV the visa process in Kandahar is riddled with delays and inconsistencies, with no clear criteria for approval. Applicants often wait months while a thriving black market for visas operates openly, the sources said.
Officials in the Taliban-run foreign affairs office in Kandahar confirmed that the department’s new director supports the black-market sale of Pakistani visas. As a result, they said, visas can be bought in as little as an hour for $100 to $150.
Local Taliban officials told Agence France-Presse that tourism company representatives have petitioned the provincial governor to halt black-market sales, warning they will suspend operations if the practice continues.
The Pakistani Consulate in Kandahar did not respond to requests for comment.
