The federal government has acknowledged the significant delays in Pakistani passport issuance, a matter of concern for applicants. Currently, over 800,000 passports await printing, but with the procurement of new machinery and lamination paper, this backlog is expected to be resolved soon.
Passport and Immigration authorities are printing 20-25,000 passports daily while receiving 40-45,000 applications. To tackle the issue, tenders have been issued for new printing and e-passport machines, along with international tenders for lamination paper.
Earlier reports highlighted unusual delays affecting over 550,000 passport applicants, with delays of up to three months. The Passport and Immigration Department attributed the delays to shortages of ink and lamination paper but assured that all pending passports would be cleared by June after restocking these items.
