An Edinburgh taxi driver whose family fled Afghanistan when he was a child has been allowed to renew his licence despite a complicated legal situation.
Taxi drivers in the Capital need to list any country they’ve lived in for six months or more, and provide criminal background checks from each.
But Gul Khan, who grew up in Afghanistan, presented a difficult case for the council, where due to the state of politics in the country a records check would not be possible to perform.
It is unclear why Mr Khan did not include his time living in Afghanistan on previous licence renewals.
He had been able to provide a criminal background check from Pakistan, where he had lived for a period of time in the past.
Mr Khan told councillors: “I was born in Afghanistan, and the situation was not great, I’m sure the situation is the same after all the time passes.
“I was very young when I came to Edinburgh, I was well supported through everything I’ve done, luckily – I started my life through going to college, university.
“My wife and kids, they are from Pakistan, so I went during the Covid times. So I’ve got the police clearance forms from there.
“Unfortunate, the situation in Afghanistan, I can’t go back – I’ve never been back. None of the family does exist.
“I went through the British Red Cross to trace my family. They say the village I lived in does not exist anymore.”
He told councillors that he was a dental technician by trade, but lost his job during the pandemic.
Conservative councillor Joanna Mowat said: “Officers don’t have delegated powers where someone has come from a country where we can’t get these criminal record checks.
“Mr Khan has had two previous licences, there’s nothing since the age of 17, 25 years that he’s lived in Edinburgh.
“So I would be minded to recommend that we grant the application.”
Councillors verbally approved the grant of the licence.
By Joseph Sullivan Local Democracy Reporter
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) is a public service news agency. It is funded by the BBC, provided by the local news sector (in Edinburgh that is Reach plc (the publisher behind Edinburgh Live and The Daily Record) and used by many qualifying partners. Local Democracy Reporters cover news about top-tier local authorities and other public service organisations.
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