LAHORE – Over thousands of Pakistanis have been facing distress for months due to delay in the issuance of over 550,000 passports for last couple of months.
The Passport and Immigration Department failed in providing passports on time due to machine readability issues and passport supply.
The hundreds of Pakistani passport holders, including those in other countries like the USA, UK, and Canada have been hanging in limbo for the past several months.
The aspirants for Hajj and Umrah are also suffering mental anguish due to the delayed passport issuance.
The affected individuals complain that the Passport and Immigration Department is only prioritizing urgent and fast-track applicants, leaving others waiting for months.
On the other hand, the passport authorities attribute the delay to the depletion of ink and lamination paper stocks.
It assured clearance by June after the replenishment of supplies.
