Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar informed the National Assembly about Pakistan to Enhance Passport Printing Capacity, with new machinery and software set to increase the daily output to 55,000 to 60,000 passports by the end of September.
In response to a Calling Attention Notice regarding delays in issuing passports, the minister for Law expressed optimism that the new system would help clear the existing backlog of passport applications.
He highlighted that during the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government, orders were issued for the import of the new system, and the process has continued under the interim government.
“We hope the new system will be installed soon, and the daily capacity for issuing passports will increase from 26,000 to 60,000,” he added.
Azam Nazeer Tarar also noted that the number of missions has increased from 20 to 92, necessitating upgraded machinery and advanced printers to meet the growing demand for passports.
Citizens have experienced prolonged delays in passport issuance, with even those paying for “urgent” passports waiting months for their travel documents.
The issue was raised in the National Assembly’s Interior Committee last month, prompting questions to relevant authorities following increasing public complaints.
Passport and Immigration Director General (DG) Mustafa Jamal Qazi briefed the committee that delays in passport printing were caused by dysfunctional and outdated machinery. He added that the department has received approval from the Interior Ministry to purchase new machinery for e-passports.
Mustafa Jamal Qazi detailed that six new printers would be procured for printing machine-readable passports to overcome delays. He assured the NA body that all passport printing queries would be resolved by September.
Addressing the capacity and capability of the Passport Department, Mustafa Jamal Qazi said additional counters have been set up in passport offices. He noted that the passport system is 20 years old, with 20 printers, 13 of which have been functional for years. The increased demand for passports has led to system breakdowns.
“The issue of lamination papers was due to a dollar price increase, which has also been resolved,” Mustafa Jamal Qazi said.
