Machine readable passports: SC bench summons interior secretary

Says it is dismayed by the insensitive attitude of the passport department towards overseas Pakistanis in China.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday signalled its dissatisfaction over the non-availability of machine readable passports at the country’s diplomatic mission in China, summoning the interior secretary before the court on Wednesday.

The apex court’s three-judge bench – headed by Chief Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani –took up an application sent by an overseas Pakistani Muhammad Azam Khawaja, a resident of Najing, China. Khawaja claimed that about 7,500 overseas Pakistanis’ in China were facing hardships due to the non-availability of machine readable passports at the Pakistan Embassy in China.

During the hearing, Immigration and Passport Department’s project director Muhammad Safdar submitted a report, stating that the machine was installed at the embassy in February 2013. However, it was not operational on account of non-appointment of a grade-17 technical officer.

On the query of the bench, he said a reference was sent to the interior ministry in July, 2013 followed by four to five reminders but the ministry had not issued the requisite appointment order.

“The said ministry has sent the reference to the Prime Minister Secretariat and on account of the general ban imposed, no further action have been taken,” he informed the court.

In its report, the passport department said that it was facing acute shortage of human resources.

The department said it had already asked the government to lift the ban, which was imperative to open new machine readable machine facilities at home and Pakistan Missions already indentified and yet to be opened, the report said.

The bench, however, observed that it was dismayed by the insensitive attitude of the passport department. “However, before we pass any order, we are persuaded to direct Secretary Interior to appear in Court on 19.2.2014 and explain the factual position,” the bench noted.