THOUGH digitisation of the passport and CNIC application process has improved matters, bureaucratic lethargy is creating unacceptable delays in the issuance of these essential documents, particularly passports. As the director general of immigration and passports recently told the Senate Standing Committee on Interior, the current backlog of passports stands at 16.5m applications. The figure in May was 0.8m applications. Some observers have pointed out that the 16.5m figure seems unreasonably high, and could be the result of a typo. However, even a backlog of 0.8m applications is unacceptable. There have been rising public complaints that the passport issuance process, which is supposed to take 21 working days for the delivery of the document to the applicant, is now taking months. One reason seems to be logistical bottlenecks. For example, it was recently reported that passport officials had asked the FBR not to block consignments of printing ink, as this could lead to a “national crisis” causing further delay in the printing of passports. Last year, a shortage of lamination paper was blamed on the backlog of pending applications.

Shortages of ink, lamination paper, etc, do not happen overnight; it is very likely that inefficiency and the lack of internal checks in the department concerned have resulted in the massive backlog. The interior minister, under whose domain the issuance of passports lies, has reportedly ‘taken notice’ of the crisis. Yet, much more needs to be done to clear the backlog swiftly. Business trips, students’ academic calendars, people wanting to travel abroad for medical reasons, as well as family visits have all been disturbed because of these inordinate delays. When a citizen submits a passport application — urgent or normal — they expect to receive their document within the stipulated period. People cannot be expected to wait indefinitely for their travel document just because officialdom has — as usual — failed to live up to its end of the bargain.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2024