Issuance of passports resumes after a month’s lull

Scarcity of lamination paper had resulted in a nationwide shortage of travel document

ISLAMABAD:

The Passport Office on Tuesday said that the issue of delay in the issuance of the key travel document had been resolved as lamination paper had been arranged by the authorities.

A scarcity of lamination paper, which is used in passports and is typically imported from France, as per Directorate General of Immigration & Passports, resulted in a nationwide shortage of the travel document since November.

Hence, people, who need the green-coloured book for travelling abroad for study, work, or leisure were stuck.

A senior Peshawar Passport Office officer had disclosed to The Express Tribune under the condition of anonymity that they could presently only process 12 to 13 passports per day as compared to 3,000 to 4,000 passports per day previously and that they had no idea when the pendency would be improved. “People may have to wait for another month or two,” added the official.

Read also: Reports of delay in printing passports ‘baseless’

A Passport Office spokesperson said the issuance of passports had resumed after the supply of lamination paper.

The spokesperson said, “Printing is being completed in three days in the fast track category while under the Urgent Passport Application, it is being ensured within five days.”

He added that issuance of normal passport was being ensured within a month.

As the lamination paper had been received, he said, all reports regarding delay in issuance of passports were baseless.