ISLAMABAD: Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar informed the National Assembly on Tuesday that new machinery and software would be installed to increase the printing capacity of passports to 55,000 to 60,000 per day by the end of September this year.
Responding to concerns over delays in issuing passports, the minister expressed optimism that the new system would help clear the existing backlog of applications. He noted that the process of implementing the new system had begun during the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government and continues under the interim government.
The minister emphasized that with the number of passport offices increasing from 20 to 92, there is an urgent need for upgraded machinery and advanced printers to meet the growing demand.
Due to old and dysfunctional machinery, citizens have experienced prolonged delays in receiving passports, even those who paid for urgent processing. Passport and Immigration Director General (DG) Mustafa Jamal Qazi assured that six new printers would be introduced to address the delays.
Qazi also mentioned that the system, which is 20 years old, has seen a significant increase in demand, leading to system breakdowns. He added that the issue of lamination papers, exacerbated by the dollar price increase, has been resolved.
The minister also highlighted a separate issue, revealing that 12,000 fake Pakistani passports had been received from Saudi Arabia, underscoring the need for increased vigilance in passport issuance.
