Pakistanis denied new Passports; reason no money to pay for lamination

Due to a shortage of lamination paper in Pakistan, citizens are encountering challenges in obtaining new passports. The nationwide scarcity of travel documents is a result of this lamination paper shortage, as reported by ANI in The Express Tribune on November 8.

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As per the report citing the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports (DGI&P) in Pakistan, the lamination paper used in passports is imported from France.

Numerous individuals are on the verge of shattered dreams due to extensive delays in obtaining passports. Zain Ijaz, a resident of Gujrat, Pakistan, who secured admission to a UK university, is grappling with travel hurdles as he cannot proceed without a valid passport.

Beyond Ijaz, individuals relying on the green-coloured passport for international travel, be it for study, work, or leisure, find themselves in a predicament. Currently, there is no apparent resolution in sight to bring an end to their ongoing ordeal.

"I was all set to move to Dubai for work soon. My family and I were beyond ecstatic that our fortunes would finally change but the mismanagement of DGI&P seems to have cost me my golden ticket out poverty and this country," news agency ANI quoted The Express Tribune reported where bemoaned Gul, who belongs to a far-flung area in Punjab, said.

Hira, a student from Peshawar, expressed, "Despite the recent approval of my student visa for Italy with a scheduled arrival in October, the unavailability of a passport has deprived me of the opportunity to travel."

Although this issue may appear new, it echoes a previous occurrence in 2013 when passport printing halted due to the DGI&P's outstanding debts to printers and a shortage of lamination papers, as per The Express Tribune. Responding to concerns about DGI&P's effectiveness, Qadir Yar Tiwana, the Director General for Media of the Ministry of Interior, the parent ministry of DGI&P, reassured, "The situation will soon be under control, and passport issuance will continue as normal." Tiwana highlighted the government's efforts to address the crisis, noting a decline in the backlog.

Faizan, a resident of Karachi's North Nazimabad, reported that the city receives approximately 3,000 passport applications daily. Expressing frustration over DGI&P's mismanagement and citing the cancellation of his leisure trip, he mentioned, "I submitted my application over 2 months ago and have yet to receive my passport," as reported by a Pakistan-based news daily.

In the meantime, Amir, a resident of Karachi's Gulshan-e-Iqbal area, claimed that despite receiving an SMS from the DGI&P last month stating that his passport was ready for pickup, the office staff informed him upon arrival that his passport had not arrived yet.

Expressing frustration, Amir stated, "My passport has not arrived to date, and I've had to cancel all my plans for traveling abroad."

As per the report, a senior officer from the passport office in Peshawar mentioned that they are currently processing only 12 to 13 passports per day, a significant decrease from the previous 3,000 to 4,000 passports per day. The official expressed uncertainty about when the backlog would be resolved, suggesting that people might have to wait for another month or two.

(with inputs from agencies)

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