ahila Siddique, a lawyer by profession, applied for passport in October 2023. She has yet to receive it. “My parents, who applied for a [passport] renewal in December [2023], were given the collection date of January 1,” she says. “However, upon subsequent visits to the passport office, we learnt that the passports were not ready.”

Of late, inordinate delays in the delivery of passports have been widely reported by the citizens. Passport is a key travelling document, and the delay is causing frustration among those waiting to travel abroad. Long queues at passport offices in the city have become the order of the day. This points to the failure of concerned departments in coping with the situation.

However, the delay is believed by many to be ‘superficial,’ meant only to fleece the public into paying an extra buck — i.e. an urgent fee of Rs 7,300 — for the ordinary passport for which the fee currently stands at Rs 3,000; or take advantage of the fast-track process which would otherwise cost them upwards of Rs 10,000 for delivery within seven working days.

Although the option to pay extra for fast-track services is always there, applicants are grumbling because delivery still takes a couple of weeks.

At a time when mobility is increasingly becoming expensive, the delay in printing of passports has added to the travellers’ woes. “It’s a story of frustration, disappointment, and bureaucratic red tape. It affects individuals, families and businesses alike.”

The delays are attributed to a recent shortage of lamination paper which, when combined with a surge in passport applications, creates a significant backlog in the production process. An officer in the Immigration and Passport Department says, on condition of anonymity, that the department can currently process only 12 to 13 passports per day. This, when compared to the department’s previous record of dealing with 3,000-4,000 passports per day, cuts a sorry figure.

The officer says he has no idea when the pendency will end. People may have to wait for another two to three months, he says.

In this situation, the question arises whether the Passport and Immigration office prioritises expedited services for those who pay the exorbitant urgent fee? Also, are ordinary citizens being sidelined in favour of those who can ‘afford’ to bypass the bureaucratic hurdles?

The officer acknowledges the burden on the system, citing a notable increase in the number of applications received which have contributed to the backlog. The delayed procurement of lamination paper further complicated the matters, leading to extended wait times for applicants, he says.

ver 70,000 passports are pending for the past more than three months now. The delay has particularly upset those who planned to perform Umrah and/ or Haj this year. Amin-ud Din, a resident of Model Town, says despite applying for Umrah and Hajj visas three months prior, he’s yet to receive his passport.

Then there are those who’ve landed employment opportunities abroad. They are obviously furious over the delays that can cost them their jobs.

As the citizens are condemned to endure the extended wait times, they urge the authorities to intervene and resolve the issue, and ensure that no dubious agents take undue advantage of the situation and exploit them in any way.

The authorities are also expected to address the shortage of the lamination paper; streamline the application process; and eliminate exploitative practices to ensure a smooth and efficient passport issuance system for the benefit of all applicants.

Sheikh Ibrahim, a local businessman, says that at a time when mobility is increasingly becoming expensive, the delay in printing of passports has added to the travellers’ woes. “It’s a story of frustration, disappointment and bureaucratic red tape. It affects individuals, families and businesses alike,” he adds.

The delay, according to Rahila Siddique, is not merely due to the red-tape. She says, “it’s a systemic failure with far-reaching consequences. It is incumbent upon the authorities to acknowledge the gravity of the situation and take decisive steps to fix the issues,” she says.

Taking notice of the situation, Federal Ombudsman (Wafaqi Mohtasib) Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi recently sent an inspection team comprising senior officials to the passport office. They were assured by the DG Immigration and Passport that the backlog would be cleared soon, as lamination paper had finally been procured.

Ahsan Zia is a print and broadcast journalist