Pakistan: There is a huge shortage of lamination paper in the country, passports are not being printed
Printing of passports has stopped in Pakistan. Due to which people going abroad are facing problems.
The economic condition of Pakistan is well known. Every day some or the other issue comes to light. There is a huge shortage of lamination paper in Pakistan. Which is used in Pakistani passport. This paper is usually imported from France. Printing of passports in Pakistan is pending due to shortage of imported lamination paper.
A media report claimed that due to this there has been a reduction in the printing of passports. Many people are facing problems due to this. A senior official at the passport office in Peshawar said they can currently make only 12 to 13 passports per day, whereas earlier 3,000 to 4,000 passports were made per day. He said, people may have to wait for several months.
However, Pakistan Observer portal quoted the Interior Ministry as saying that Pakistan has placed the order for lamination paper and they will receive the order in a week. It also said that regional offices are receiving up to 25,000 applications for renewal or issuance of passports on a daily basis, but the backlog has now increased due to the shortage of lamination paper in the country.
Asked about the apparent incompetence of the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports (DGI&P), Interior Ministry Media Director General Kadir Yar Tiwana said the government is doing its job. Solutions are being explored to deal with the crisis. The situation will soon be under control and passport issuance will continue as normal.