While these corrupt officials made billions, thousands of ordinary citizens have been suffering due to the inordinate delay in the issuance of their passports. PHOTO: FILE
Though the practice came to light in 2012, the FIA was reluctant to investigate the scam, since senior officials of the interior ministry and a former federal minister were allegedly involved in it. While these corrupt officials made billions, thousands of ordinary citizens have been suffering due to the inordinate delay in the issuance of their passports.
Of late, the news coming from the Directorate General of Passports and Immigration has been dire. A backlog of hundreds of thousands of passports persists, with people waiting for over six months for “urgent” passports which the ministry is unable to deliver, since it has run out of lamination paper. Meanwhile, the DG of P&I continues to accept applications from citizens and is even charging urgent fees for passports which it knows it will be unable to deliver. Instead of resolving these issues, the interior ministry has now allegedly awarded the contract for the lamination paper of passports to a US firm allegedly for kickbacks.
Investigations into the issuance of diplomatic passports are currently under way but it is believed that the majority of individuals who obtained an illegal blue passport have already left the country. The brazen profiteering of senior officials in the Directorate General of Passports and Immigration, including a former federal minister, points to a rotten system. A thorough investigation is needed to bring the culprits to book.
Published in The Express Tribune, June 1st, 2013.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
COMMENTS (5)
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ
A blue passport is NOT a diplomatic passport. Diplomatic passports are red. Blue passports r given to govt officials when they proceed abroad abroad on govt duty, eg with Haj Mission, UN Missions or any other visit where govt sends them.
hahahha every one in Pakistan is diplomate ...
Simple solution - international community gives Pakistan 90 days to switch out blue passports for something different (color) - until them treat every blue diplomatic passport as though it might be stolen. Inconvenient to Pakistani diplomats but the World shouldn't have to put itself at risk for inept/corrupt actions of Pakistan.
Why were the officers not prosecuted? Once someone told me that all it takes to buy Pakistani officials is a bottle of wine and a visa. Perhaps with some money people can also enjoy diplomatic privileges.
As always outgoing ministers are blammed! I am sure they were involved in this scam but where were you all when the scam started in 2010 and you are writing in 2013!!!!