Minister asks authorities to timely issue passports to overseas Pakistanis, warns against delays

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has taken notice of prolonged delays in issuance of passports to overseas Pakistanis and directed authorities to ensure their issuance within the stipulated time period, Pakistani state media reported on Sunday.
The directives came during a visit by the interior minister, who is currently in the United Kingdom, to Pakistan’s Immigration and Passports and National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) offices in London.
Naqvi took notice of the complaints that it took overseas Pakistanis as much as four months to get their normal passports, while the urgent ones were being issued in one-and-a-half month, according to a report published by the Radio Pakistan broadcaster.
Naqvi told officials to ensure the issuance of normal passports within 30 days and the urgent ones within a week, saying the policy would be applicable to all Pakistani missions abroad. 
“No delay will be tolerated anymore and action will be taken against non-issuance of passport within stipulated time,” the interior minister was quoted as saying in the report.  
He also established a monitoring cell to ensure timely delivery of passports, according to the report. The monitoring cell would be headed by personal staff officer to the minister, Shahrbano Naqvi.
Overseas Pakistanis can email their complaints about delays in issuance of passports to [email protected], Radio Pakistan reported.
The Pakistani interior minister is currently on an official visit to the United Kingdom. During his visit, Pakistan and the UK have agreed to enhance cooperation in the fields of counter-terrorism, organized crime and prevention of illegal immigration.
On Sunday, Naqvi also met former member of British parliament, Khalid Mehmood, in London, Radio Pakistan reported.
“During the meeting, they discussed measures to resolve the issues facing overseas Pakistanis in detail,” the report read.
“Khalid Mehmood expressed gratitude to Mohsin Naqvi for addressing the matter of passport issuance for Overseas Pakistanis within a specific timeline.”
Naqvi appreciated the contributions of overseas Pakistanis and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to facilitate them at all levels.