GUJRAT: The validity of the police character certificates issued mostly to the overseas Pakistanis has been enhanced from the earlier 90 days to 180 days as the Punjab police have issued necessary direction to the district police officers.

Sources in the police department told Dawn the expatriate Pakistanis have been striving for the enhancement of the validity period of the police character certificates since the 90 days validity used to expire during the documentation and appointment with the concerned diplomatic missions and embassies.

The submission of police character certificate along with the visa-related applications has been a prerequisite for the Pakistanis in most of the embassies, especially the European and some Middle Eastern countries for the last so many years. An over whelming majority of the overseas Pakistanis belongs to Gujrat district. At least 300 people file applications daily with the security branch of the Gujrat police.

According to sources in the police department, the average number of applications in other districts is not more than 50.