Pakistan: NADRA centres to offer passport services soon
Wire desk byline Sourced from Xinhua, Dawn, Arab News, Anadolu and Minute Mirror. Translated and abridged by the GSRRA Desk.
The government has made this decision to reduce congestion at the central passport office.
To facilitate citizens in Karachi, the capital of Sindh and Pakistan’s largest city, the government has decided to set up passport offices in two NADRA mega centres.
According to an Express News report, passport services will now be available at the NADRA Mega Centre 5 Star Chowrangi and NADRA Mega Centre Siemens Chowrangi (SITE).
The government has made this decision to reduce congestion at the central passport office by providing alternative centres for passport services.
The initiative was finalised during the recent visit of Director General Passport Mustafa Jamal Qazi to Karachi, where the plan to establish passport offices at NADRA centres was discussed.
Sources indicate that passport services will also be introduced at approximately 11 NADRA mega centres across Pakistan, including Karachi.
Previously, during a surprise visit to Karachi’s 24/7 Passport Office at Awami Markaz and the NADRA Defence Mega Centre, Naqvi interacted with applicants for passports and ID cards. He inquired about the process, and citizens expressed satisfaction, praising the efficiency of the system.
The Federal Interior Minister, Mohsin Naqvi, assured that delays in passport issuance were being resolved, with citizens now receiving their passports within the stipulated time frame.
On this occasion, Naqvi reiterated that delays in the issuance of passports were being addressed and assured timely delivery going forward.
Additionally, Mustafa Jamal Qazi, the Director General of Immigration and Passports, confirmed that the backlog of pending passports across Pakistan had been successfully cleared.
During an earlier visit to the passport production unit, the DG reviewed the printing and issuance processes and shared updates on the progress. Since July 1, a record-breaking 3,376,510 passports had been printed, including 776,451 in the normal category, 1,896,403 in the urgent category, and 703,656 in the fast-track category.
The DG credited this achievement to the relentless efforts and dedication of the production team, who worked tirelessly to meet the overwhelming demand. With the backlog cleared, citizens were advised to collect their passports directly from regional passport offices without waiting for notifications via message or email, as the delivery process had been completed.
Reference Link:- https://tribune.com.pk/story/2520155/nadra-centres-to-offer-passport-services-soon
Zamir Ahmed Awan is the founder and Chair of the Global Silk Route Research Alliance, a think tank in Islamabad. He studied engineering at Shanghai University in the 1980s, and years later he went back to China as Pakistan's science counsellor in Beijing, from 2010 until 2016, working on science and higher education cooperation between the two countries.…
