The difficulties faced by thousands of passport applicants are nearing an end, as the government has decided to order eight new machines for passport printing.
Sources indicate that the director general of immigration and passports has prepared a requisition for these machines, pending approval from the interior ministry. The new machines are expected to be ordered by September, which will speed up the process. Six desktop and two e-passport machines will be acquired, each capable of printing 1,000 passports per hour.
Read more: Passport Issuance Delays Causing Difficulties for Citizens
The delays in passport printing have affected countless Pakistanis for over a year, but the new machines will alleviate pressure on applicants and the Directorate General of Immigration & Passports. A shortage of lamination paper has contributed to the backlog, inconveniencing citizens and youth departing in large numbers.
Currently, only urgent and e-passports are being processed, while those applying through standard procedures face long waits or need to leverage connections. The backlog stems from the fact that Pakistan imports the necessary paper from France, with delays attributed to foreign currency issues.
Despite previous efforts to resolve the backlog, the situation continues, especially as hundreds of thousands of Pakistanis have sought better employment abroad in recent years.
