A shortage of lamination paper in Pakistan is causing significant challenges for citizens seeking new passports, leading to a nationwide scarcity of travel documents, as reported by The Express Tribune on November 8, citing news agency ANI. The Directorate General of Immigration & Passports (DGI&P) in Pakistan highlighted that the lamination paper, crucial for passport production, is imported from France.
The delays in passport issuance are creating distress for individuals with aspirations of studying, working, or traveling abroad. Many now face hurdles as they cannot travel without a valid passport, exemplifying the impact of the ongoing passport issuance challenges in the country.
Qadir Yar Tiwana, the Director General for Media of the Ministry of Interior, assured citizens that the government is actively working to resolve the crisis. "The situation will soon be under control, and passport issuance will continue as normal," he stated.
Residents, however, report receiving conflicting messages from the DGI&P, indicating that their passports are ready for pickup, only to be turned away when they visit the passport office. Muhammad Imran, a resident of Peshawar, voiced his frustration, stating, "The passport office has been stating that your passport will come next week since September, but multiple weeks have passed, and they keep repeating the same."
Furthermore, passport offices across Pakistani cities are uncertain about when the process can be fully reinstated. A senior officer at the Peshawar passport office disclosed that they can currently process only 12 to 13 passports per day, a significant decrease from the previous rate of 3,000 to 4,000 passports per day. The best estimate provided is another month or two of waiting for the situation to improve.
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