By Ali Imran
ISLAMABAD: Passport and Immigration Department has failed to deliver passports to over 500,000 individuals on time, despite collecting millions of rupees in fees, according to officials.
Previously, regular fee passports were delayed by several months, but now even urgent fee passports are taking one to two months to be issued.
Sources within the department attribute the delays to a sudden surge in the number of Pakistanis seeking to travel abroad, driven by the country’s worsening economic conditions.
The department is currently receiving around 50,000 applications daily for new and renewed passports nationwide, including from Lahore, but it only can process 25,000 passports per day.
As a result, more than 500,000 people across the country, including Lahore, are still waiting for their passports despite having paid significant fees.
Only those opting for the fast-track service, which costs between Rs 20,000 and Rs 27,000, are receiving their passports within a week.
The department previously faced issues with ink shortages and lamination paper, which have since been resolved, but it now struggles with insufficient printing capacity. Director General of Passport and Immigration Mustafa Jamal Qazi stated that tenders have been issued for the purchase of new advanced printing machines.
The process is nearly complete, with the machinery expected to arrive by October, which should resolve the backlog.
He added that the delay in purchasing the machinery was due to the need to comply with strict security regulations, as passports contain multiple security features.
However, he expressed confidence that the issue would soon be resolved.
On August 15, the federal government announced significant changes to passport regulations to improve public services. These amendments, pending cabinet approval, will enable passport issuance or renewal from any city across Pakistan.
The updated rules also allow fees for all passport categories to be deposited at any branch of the National Bank, streamlining the process for citizens nationwide.
To address the ongoing passport backlog, authorities ramped up the printing process to operate around the clock, starting August 15.
Director General of Immigration and Passports, Mustafa Jamal Qazi, instructed staff to work 24/7 to clear the backlog, with printing continuing even on Independence Day.
DG Qazi visited the office on August 15, celebrated Independence Day with the production staff, and praised their dedication. He stressed the importance of enhancing the global reputation of Pakistan’s passport and prioritising the timely issuance of passports.
On June 11, it was reported that the government decided to procure new printing machines for passports, which is expected to alleviate the ongoing crisis.
The decision to acquire additional machines for printing passports was made, with the Directorate General of Passports and Immigration preparing a requisition and sending it to the Ministry of Interior. It was anticipated that the new machines would be imported by September.
Passport officials indicated that the new equipment would include six desktop printers and two e-passport machines.
