24-hour passport facility introduced in Karachi

KARACHI: Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi said that 10 passport processing counters have been set up in the site areas of NADRA Mega Centers in Nazimabad and Siemens Chowrangi in Karachi.

The counters will provide round-the-clock services to citizens as this initiative will reduce the waiting time of applicants.

DG Immigration and Passport Mustafa Jamal Qazi said that 24-hour passport processing counters are being expanded across the country. The office in Islamabad is already functioning 24 hours.

Karachi, Awami Markaz and Garden Town offices in Lahore are also open 24 hours for the public. Full attention has been paid to the issue of delay in issuing passports. A seamless process and timely issuance is being ensured for citizens.

Earlier, the Interior Minister announced that citizens will get their passports and National Identity Cards on time as the backlog has been cleared.

He was speaking at a ceremony after inaugurating the state-of-the-art Passport and Immigration Headquarters building and the Islamabad Regional Passport Office.

He said that the backlog of passports in Pakistan has been eliminated. He highlighted that earlier both urgent and regular passports were not being issued on time.

Minister Naqvi further announced that the Islamabad Regional Passport Office would remain open 24 hours for the convenience of the public. He also shared plans to provide 24-hour passport services in NADRA offices in 14 to 16 cities across Pakistan.

He said that passport counters would be set up in these cities within a week to provide passport services to the people. He also announced the establishment of Model Passport Centers in Karachi and Lahore.