Applicants concerned at delay in issuance of passports

PESHAWAR: The undue delays in issuance of passports have raised concerns among the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, especially those going abroad to different countries and for Umrah.

They have demanded of the federal government to take notice of the issue and take steps to overcome it on a priority basis.Owing to the delays in issuance of the passport, many people intending to go abroad have got their visas expired, thus causing them financial losses and mental agony.

The applicants said earlier they would get passports within four days in the past if they applied on an urgent basis and it would take not more than two weeks for a passport to be issued if applied as a normal case.

Now, they have to apply as a ‘fast-track case’ with a two-time high fee to get his passport in not less than a week’s time. Those who apply on an urgent and normal basis have to forget to get their passport, said an official in the passport office.

Sources in the Interior Ministry said the reason behind the delay in issuance of passports was the shortage of lamination sheets - the special papers with security features used in the passports. The lamination sheets are imported from Germany, an official explained.

An official in the regional passport office told The News it was true that the passports could not be issued on time due to shortage of lamination sheets. But now the sheets have been imported and the matter was getting resolved slowly, he said.

But owing to the backlog, the issue could not be fully resolved and it will take a few more weeks to normalize the situation, he admitted.The official said thousands of people apply for passports on a daily basis from various offices in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Only 500 people apply daily from the Peshawar office, he said.