Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar announced on Tuesday that Pakistan will install new machinery and software to increase the passport printing capacity to 60,000 per day by the end of September. This move aims to address the delays in passport issuance.
In the National Assembly, Minister Tarar responded to a ‘Calling Attention Notice’ from Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) members concerning the backlog of passport applications. He expressed confidence that the new system would not only boost printing capacity but also help clear existing backlogs.
Enhancements and background
The current system, installed in 2004, has a daily printing capacity of up to 26,000 passports. However, the demand for passports has significantly increased over the past two decades, necessitating the upgrade.
Orders for the new system were placed during the previous Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government, and the process has continued under the interim government. The expansion of Pakistani missions from 20 to 92 and the establishment of around 300 centres across the country for application processing have also contributed to the increased demand.
Government assurances
Minister Tarar assured the National Assembly that the new system would be operational by the end of September, resolving the current delays. “We are optimistic that with the introduction of this new system, we will efficiently manage the increased number of applications and clear the existing backlog,” he stated.