ISLAMABAD: Senior adviser and grievance commissioner for overseas Pakistanis at the Federal Ombudsman Secretariat Hafiz Ahsaan Ahmad Khokhar has said overseas Pakistanis would receive their passports and identity cards at their respective missions and on their individual addresses all over the world.

A statement issued by the ombudsman office said a large number of overseas Pakistanis had filed applications to the secretariat for delivery and issuance of passports and Nicops.

They requested to continue and ensure delivery of their passports and Nicops and said their respective departments be advised to deliver these documents to the respective missions for onward delivery.

Mr Khokhar issued notices to Ministry of Interior, the director general passports and the Nadra chairman for submission of reports and to address the issues of overseas Pakistanis.

Representative of the DG passports informed the secretariat that delivery of passports had been started on both Pakistani missions and individual addresses of the overseas Pakistanis and so far 9,576 passports had been dispatched.

To avoid inconvenience to Pakistanis during the coronavirus pandemic, the validity period of passports has been increased by one year as per orders of the Ministry of Interior.

Nadra has submitted to the ombudsman secretariat that the suspended courier services had now been restarted.

Published in Dawn, May 13th, 2020