ISLAMABAD: The passport printing delay issue is expected to be resolved as 10 new desktop passport printing machines have arrived from abroad, sources at the DG Passport Office said.
The installation of these machines is in progress, and all machines will be operational by next week, the sources added. These new desktop machines will double the current printing capacity.
According to the sources, around 22,000-24,000 passports are currently printed daily, and the capacity will double after the installation of these state-of-the-art machines.
Approximately 45,000 to 50,000 applications are received daily for new passports or renewals from across the country, the sources noted.
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It is important to mention that the issue of delays in Pakistani passport issuance had been raised in the National Assembly.
Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazir Tarar, while responding to Pakistan People’s Party’s Agha Rafiullah’s call attention notice, informed the National Assembly that the government was working to expedite the passport issuance process.
“Daily demand for Pakistani passports has reached 44,000, while only 25,000 to 26,000 passports are being printed,” Tarar added.