ISLAMABAD, Oct 28 (NNI): Interior Ministry has reported a surge in passport applications, with 45,000 to 50,000 applications submitted daily, while current resources allow only 20,000 to 22,000 passports to be issued per day.
Officials attribute the delays to limited capacity and outdated infrastructure.
In a statement to the National Assembly, Interior Minister Syed Mohsin Raza Naqvi explained that the system introduced in 2004 was initially sufficient but has since become strained as regional offices expanded from 30 to 223 and foreign missions from 10 to 93.
He said over time, the passport offices increased to 223 while Pakistan’s missions abroad surged to 93. However, he said the passport production facility was never expanded nor equipped with the technology or equipment to make the printing process “faster and better.”
“Presently, the department is facing a very high trend of daily passport applications around 45,000 to 50,000 thousand from field formations, whereas, the production facility can merely cater for 20,000 to 22,000 passports per day,” Naqvi said. “Resultantly, the routine backlog is being accumulated.”
He said the government has made the passport production facility operational 24 hours during all seven days of the week in three shifts to cater to applicants on a war footing basis.
When asked whether the government was charging people exorbitant fees to issue passports on an urgent basis, the minister responded by saying that it is up to the applicants to choose and apply for passports according to their urgency under the prescribed categories of “normal,” “urgent” and “fast track.”
Modern technological upgrades have lagged behind the growing demand.
The delays, worsened by a passport paper shortage late last year, have led to months-long waiting times for applicants.
To address the backlog, the department now operates 24/7 with three shifts, and passport printing has been decentralized to regional offices in major cities such as Karachi, Peshawar, Quetta, Lahore, and Multan.
Efforts to increase production capacity are underway, with the procurement of 20 Delta printers and 20 laminators, expected by October 2024. Additional orders for desktop printers and e-passport machines are set to arrive by November 2024.
Officials believe the upgraded equipment will help expedite processing and reduce waiting times for new passport applicants. NNI
