Crossword Genius

Kiss a former official (5)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

pasha

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'former official' is the definition.
'pasha' can be an answer for 'official' (I have seen 'Turkish official' mean 'pasha' so perhaps 'official' could also mean 'pasha'). I am not sure about the 'former' bit.

'kiss a' is the wordplay.
'kiss' becomes 'pash' (I can't justify this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'pash'+'a'='PASHA'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for pasha that I've seen before include "High ranking Turkish official or officer" , "High-ranking Turkish officer" , "Former provincial governor in Egypt" , "Ottoman governor" , "Muslim dignitary" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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